


The Gemini Effect

by hbomba, lonejaguar



Category: Lost Girl
Genre: F/F, Post-Finale, Post-Season/Series Finale, Post-Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-16
Updated: 2016-01-20
Packaged: 2018-05-07 02:50:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 31,898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5440697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hbomba/pseuds/hbomba, https://archiveofourown.org/users/lonejaguar/pseuds/lonejaguar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Post-finale. Lauren deals with the consequences of her actions in S5 and Bo finally faces the Elders that Trick had shielded her from for so long.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> While we don’t claim to fix all the oversights of the finale/series, this is a definite start.

__

“Body and spirit are twins: God only knows which is which.” | Algernon Charles Swinburne  
__

“We are linked by blood, and blood is memory without language.” | Joyce Carol Oates  
__

There was so much loss and life was so different without those souls in her life. Trick, Tamsin, gone for good and Kenzi, on the peripheral of her life from here on out. It was a painful, awful place when her mind wandered there but there was one bright spot: Lauren. She was all Bo needed and was now finally positioned to stay awhile in her life. Unfortunately, life was constantly changing and charging ahead, leaving Bo feeling like she was chasing inevitability. And today she had chased it into a political nightmare.

Walking through the corridors to the Elder’s meeting place, Bo was humbled by its age and her relative newness to the Fae world, even if she was as some might posit “all-powerful.” She was venturing into a world she had been shielded from by Trick and probably for good reason. Bo was no diplomat and she was far from diplomatic on most occasions. But the colony needed her. Now was not the time to shy away from ideals. She would create a new legacy and do something even Trick couldn’t manage: she would make being unaligned an option, she would establish a territory and she would protect them. Bo was no diplomat but she was a hell of a protector and she knew that was what set the Elders off. 

“You must be kidding,” Prigg, a Light Elder, exclaimed. 

“Child, the fact that you were even allowed to remain unaligned is a travesty and now that Trick is--”

“What?” Bo interrupted. “Dead?”

“I was going to say protecting you from the realities of the Fae.”

“Please accept our condolences on the loss of your Grandfather,” said another Elder.

“I’m sure you’re all broken up about it.” Bo paced aimlessly in front of their oversized and ancient table. “Look, you don’t like me and it’s pretty obvious my life would be a whole helluva lot better without you all, so let’s come to an agreement. I stay out of your shit, and you stay out of mine.”

“If you think we’re going to let you set up an unaligned territory and recruit Fae to your cause, you are sorely mistaken.”

Bo slapped her hands onto the table in front of the Elders. “Here’s the thing: I’m going to do this and you’re going to do whatever you’re going to do and when the dust settles we’ll see if you still think compromise is such a bad idea.”

Prigg stood abruptly and smoothed his suit. “Perhaps you should be more concerned about what we might do to you… or the good doctor in your stead.”

“Buddy, you should learn to pick your battles because this is one you will not win.”

“On the contrary,” a Dark Elder stood. “She is the problem with her biological weapons and now you want to create a sanctuary for this behavior. Unacceptable!”

“I’m afraid I have to agree, Succubus,” a Light Elder said. “What you propose goes against every tradition the Fae have known. It would be irresponsible to abandon our ideals and wander into the unknown with an unproven leader.”

“Unproven, my ass.”

“Please, people!” Prigg’s voice boomed through the hall. “I think we’re through here.”

“Suit yourself,” Bo said, pushing off from the desk. “Remember this conversation, Prigg.” Bo’s heels echoed in the emptying hall as she walked toward the large double doors.

Prigg scoffed. “I might encourage you to do the same.” His smarmy voice gave Bo the chills and followed her through the halls on her way out.  
__

Everything in her life as she knew it had changed. She had realized her birthright and banished it but not without damaging relationships with doubt and fear. Bo was powerful, more powerful than anyone had given her credit for and when her time came, the Dark Queen had defeated an entire city with the power of the Pyrippus. She was the most powerful succubus that had ever lived in the thousands of years the Fae had walked the Earth. And a week ago she defeated her father, Hades, Lord of the Underworld and what a mindfuck that was. Bo was exhausted. It was off and on again with Lauren. She had lived through worse, but she couldn’t remember how, for the life of her, when her heart hurt so badly from simply wanting Lauren. 

Bo looked around her opulent hotel room overlooking the colony. She’d been given a suite for as long as she needed by the Selkes she had helped return their pelts to. It’d been a few years since she’d seen the girls and they’d done well for themselves. They’d cashed in on a couple of bed and breakfasts and bought a hotel. It was like a live action game of Monopoly and Bo had clearly reaped the rewards.

A knock at the door. She crossed the room and opened the door to find a cart with two covered meals. Bo smiled pulling the cart through the door, the aroma of prime rib, au jus, baked potato and vegetables filling the room. It would be a good night. Another knock sounded and Bo smiled because this time, it would be who she was hungry for.

“Lauren,” Bo greeted her warmly, pulling her into her room.

“Wow, you weren’t kidding when you said they set you up with a hotel room,” Lauren said, looking around in disbelief.

“Are you hungry?” Bo lifted the lid to their dinners and released the scent of expertly prepared food into the room.

Lauren was drawn to the cart. “That smells incredible.”

“You haven’t eaten,” Bo said knowingly.

Lauren smiled. “I can’t fool you.”

Bo carried their plates to the small table by the window and returned to the cart for cutlery. She took Lauren’s hand and pulled her toward her seat.

“Sit. Eat.” Bo pulled out Lauren’s chair out for her and pushed it forward once she was seated before sitting across from her.

Lauren was eagerly sawing into her medium rare cut of beef before Bo had settled across from her. She chewed and swallowed before asking the pertinent question: “Bo, what’s this all about?”

She smiled. “I haven’t seen much of you since you pledged to love me for the rest of your life and I thought I probably shouldn’t let it go too long before calling to fix that oversight.”

“I’m sorry.” She shook her head. “I’ve just been hyper-focused on my research.”

“You look tired, Lauren. I‘m worried about you.”

Lauren lowered her fork. “You know, telling a woman she looks tired is probably not the way to get this evening to end the way you want it to.”

“Now it’s my turn to apologize.”

She waved a hand. “It’s okay. Tell me, did you meet with the Elders yet?”

“If you could call it that.” She shook her head. “They aren’t members of my fan club just yet.”

“Give it time… They all come around eventually.”

“One way or the other.” Bo grinned.  
__

There was a pattern to their love affair. A clandestine meeting, where was unimportant, a meal ordered in and left to get cold as they made love, only to return to the food hours later, reheated and eaten amongst the sheets.

Tonight, however, would be different. Bo hadn’t seen Lauren in over a week and though she was hungry for her touch, she would resist. Tonight they would reconnect over a hot meal and wine and when Lauren reached for her, she’d resist, at least momentarily, but only because she wanted her seduction to be seamless.

“So tell me, Doctor,” Bo sipped the fine red wine the Selkes had selected for their meal. “What has been keeping you so busy?”

She could swear Lauren flinched at the question and she felt her exhale at the pressure. “The research lab, mostly.” She smiled, but it was too late to pretend.

“Research.” Bo nodded. She knew nothing of Lauren’s experiments other than the fact that Lauren had a research lab at the clinic and for the most part, she preferred it that way. Science made Bo feel insignificant in Lauren‘s eyes--not that she was, just that she felt that she could never offer the same stimulation. Of course, the truth was that only Bo could offer the type of stimulation that Lauren craved. 

And things were awkward--critically so--and Bo couldn’t explain where their easy connection had gone, but it had turned the last time Lauren walked out on her. All things being equal, Bo was still stinging from the rejection of her love despite knowing that Lauren operated on fear when she made such brash decisions. 

But tonight wasn’t about reminding them of the current shortcomings of their communication. Instead, Bo looked to reignite the passion she had always felt for Lauren. It hadn’t gone out, not by any stretch of the imagination, it was just muted down and hidden by their decisions and Bo’s recent trip to the dark side.

Nearly killing your lover and friends not once, but twice, didn’t instill much faith. Still, when they set their forks down and looked through the candlelight at each other, she wasn’t surprised to feel Lauren burning for her. Bo stood in front of her with so much to say but no words except one. “Lauren…”

After everything, Bo still loved Lauren and Lauren still loved Bo. They were secure in that knowledge, at least, and when Lauren reached for her again, Bo didn’t resist her. Their lips met with a furious intention, their clothing removed with desperation and their bodies were quickly reacquainted. When it was over, Bo knew she had orchestrated the perfect seduction. One that she felt reverberating through her body the next day.  
__

“Sweetie!” Evony exclaimed causing Lauren to almost drop a beaker she pulled from the fume hood.

“You shouldn’t be back here, Evony.” Lauren’s voice was calm and even but inside she was screaming _get out, get out, GET. OUT._

It was Lauren’s happy place, her lab, where she could be alone with her thoughts, alone with inevitability and science. But ever since Evony had fallen victim to Bo’s group suck when she drained the city, she had been insufferable.

“I know, I know, I should let the artist throw paint at the canvas and hope that it sticks but here’s the thing, Picasso, I’ve given you the keys to the clinic and you’ve given me nothing.”

“Picasso painted with brushes, Jackson Pollock was famous for drip paintings.”

“Whatever. I didn’t come here for an art lesson.” Evony sighed melodramatically. “Why can’t you speed this up? I could make it worth your while.”

Lauren took off her nitrile gloves and tossed them into the garbage. “I told you this was going to take as long as it was going to take.”

“That’s no longer acceptable. I have a timetable. With Trick gone, the Elders are anxious and I should be there, lording over them but they won’t even let me in the door now that I’m human.” She spat the last word out like it was an offending seed or pit in an otherwise perfectly ripe fruit.

The door popped open and Bo breezed in. From the look on her face, Lauren could tell she had stepped into the middle of something she hadn’t anticipated. Lauren tilted her head in that way that said _not a good time, Bo._ Undeterred, she continued on her path to Lauren, “Hey.” She ran a hand from Lauren’s shoulder to her wrist. “Everything okay?”

“She’s the reason you never get anything done around here,” Evony accused.

“You’ll have to excuse Evony, she’s having a delusional day.”

“I saw what you did during the blackout, I even made copies for posterity… Want one for your archive, Succubus?” 

Bo raised her eyebrows. “What exactly did I walk into?”

Lauren shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“Oh, come on. Don’t pretend that you’re not dragging your feet. I know you don’t want me to be Fae again.”

“This may come as a surprise to you, Evony, but I have no stake in you being Fae or Human anymore.”

“That’s because you did this. You made me feeble and saggy, you did this!”

“Let’s take a walk, Evony,“ Bo interceded.

She was still hollering at Lauren when Bo pulled her out of the laboratory door. Lauren sighed, her ears ringing in the silence of her lab. She had made Evony a promise and that was probably her first mistake, but she was trying--she really was--but every visit Evony made put her further behind and Bo, goddess love her, was putting her in much the same position. 

She was running out of time. Lauren looked down at her hand and its unmistakable tremor. She’d been forgetting things, hence the notepad that never left her side now and she knew this was just the beginning, that things would get worse if she didn’t find a way to fix Evony _and_ herself.  
__

The Dal was pretty well back to normal with a few twists on a theme. Dyson and Mark had done well for the place in Trick’s stead. He would be proud. As she looked up at the small picture of her Grandfather that sat on the wall behind the bar, two beer mugs slid across the bar top and spun in place in front of the women. 

“Getting better with your aim, Dyson,” Bo said, looking up from the enticing foam. He nodded at her with a smile and Lauren and wandered away, polishing a glass.

“Thanks for your help with Evony today…” Lauren said quietly, still decompressing.

“No problem. I was in the area so…”

Lauren breathed in, thinking carefully about her words. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that.”

Bo looked over at Lauren who stared into her glass. “Why do I feel like I’m not going to like what you’re about to say?”

“I need some space when I’m at work, Bo,” she said. “I have things I need to get accomplished and I can’t do it all if I’m entertaining you whenever you stop by.”

“Entertaining me?” Bo had trouble hiding the hurt the comment brought about.

Lauren closed her eyes and bowed her head. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

“But I distract you.”

“And that’s a good thing,” Lauren’s hand covered Bo’s. “Right? Besides, you have things you need to attend to, that maybe you haven’t been taking care of because you’re at my lab all the time.”

“You mean the Elders.”

Lauren nodded emphatically. “Yes, the Elders would be a great place to start.”

“Can I still stop in to take you out for lunch?” 

“Occasionally.” Lauren smiled.

“Define occasionally,” Bo said with a grin.

Lauren pushed on her shoulder playfully. “Drink your beer.” She sighed heavily. “I need to move.”

“Already? You’ve only been there a few years.”

“It’s dark territory and I really should be impartial.” She took another sip of her beer. 

“You mean unaligned…”

Lauren grinned. “Maybe… I am just so tired of being beholden to Evony for anything anymore.”

“Because I know someone that might be able to help you with that.” Bo drummed her fingers on the bar.

“You live in a hotel--free of charge, I might add.”

“The perks of being the Dark Queen.” Bo shrugged with a grin.

A sly smile drifted across Lauren‘s features. “Don’t let it go to your head, Succubus.”

“Doesn’t matter, anyway,” Bo said. “I need to find a place of my own, too.”

“You seemed pretty comfortable there,” Lauren said, confused.

“It’s not my scene,” Bo said with another sip from her mug. She licked the foam from her lips before continuing. “And I don’t like feeling like I owe anyone a favor either.”

“Don’t _they_ owe you the favor?”

“I guess. I just… me staying there implies further protection and…”

“You’re not interested?”

“No, it’s not that at all. I help people who need help. I just like to do it from neutral ground and my neutral ground burned to the ground with everything I amassed in the past five years.”

“Not everything…”

“Almost everything.” She patted the bar nervously.

Lauren considered this for a moment. “You almost lost all of your friends in that fire, too.”

Bo closed her eyes. She had been hoping to avoid that revelation. They didn’t talk about the things Bo did when her father was calling the shots, nor did they talk about what her father did when Bo was calling the shots, breaking out of his cell notwithstanding. Tamsin had paid the ultimate price for that and it still made her sick to her stomach. Lauren’s hand was on her shoulder, giving her a soft squeeze.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…”

“No, you’re right. I shouldn’t have risked your lives like that.”

“We did okay.” Lauren was lying. If Bruce hadn’t showed up she would have died in a heap with the others in a place that had always been a sanctuary to her. Bo was all she had left of that place of refuge. Gone was a bed more comfortable than any she had ever known, its huge four posts rooted firmly on the aged hardwoods. The velour sofa, where they had lay together on more than a few occasions and the kitchen, with its outdated snack machine and whose toaster oven had burnt every piece of toast she had ever attempted and when that wasn’t good enough, it had been instrumental in toasting them.

Bo stared ahead at the long line of alcohol bottles, unsure how to recover from such social suicide. “I’m glad you made it,” she said finally. 

Lauren’s hand pulled Bo’s away from her drink and held it tightly. “I’m so relieved that you made it back to us, Bo.”

“It was you, you know,” Bo said quietly. When Lauren looked confused, she continued. “You’re the reason I stopped feeding.”

Lauren blinked rapidly. “Bo…”

She shrugged. “I remembered Dyson, Kenzi, and Tamsin, too but you… I couldn’t forget about who I was with you.” Bo drained her mug and set it on the bar noisily and eyed Lauren‘s. “You wanna get out of here?”  
__

There were things about living in a hotel room that could not be beat. Turndown service being the number one reason Bo was a fan. So when she busted through the door with Lauren in her arms, her bed was ready. The minty parting gifts sitting atop her pillows were scattered onto the floor as they scrambled back against the headboard. They tore at each other’s clothes, a revival, wicked and divine. 

She never thought they’d get back to this place. She was sure that when Lauren walked away with tears in her eyes and I-love-you on her lips she would never see this place again. That she would never see her like this, or feel her like this again. She was beautifully evasive, like a wild hummingbird that flies so close to the nectar but leaves you bereft of its touch.

Joy, she felt pure joy. This wasn’t their first tussle beneath the sheets since her tearful goodbye, but it was the first time that Bo felt cemented in her honor since then. She revered her, kissing the length of her body with an attention Bo couldn’t spare for anything or anyone else. She was home, even when she was homeless, and loved even when she had lost herself. 

Moving over her now, sweaty and exhilarated, Bo couldn’t help the smile that crept onto her face. And when her eyes met Lauren’s she found a smile there too. It was a shared celebration, one that would leave their breath ragged, sheets sweaty, and voices hoarse.

Bo flopped onto her back as she tried to catch her breath. Lauren chortled into Bo’s neck, her hand on the other side of Bo’s face. “I love you,” she whispered against her cheek as Bo grinned at the ceiling. Life was good.

END PART ONE  
__


	2. Chapter 2

PART TWO

Bo snapped the newspaper and folded it over as Lauren scooped a bite of salad from a plastic container. “Lots of listings today,” Bo said with a tinge of excitement. Bo stirred her cup of soup and spooned a bite into her mouth. 

Sipping a coffee, Lauren looked more closely at the newspaper in Bo’s lap. It was a fall day, the sun was high in the sky, and the leaves skipped around in the cool breeze, their warm colors livening up the park.

“That one looks nice.” They said in unison, their index fingers finding the same listing.

“It’s closer to the clinic, you should check it out,” Bo nodded and resumed looking.

There was a moment when they both paused and considered the situation, Bo with a plastic spoon hanging out of her mouth and Lauren with a forkful of spinach salad, but things were changing so fast and it seemed like another complication that could bring it all down so they smiled at one another and each continued to look for their next home base. 

“What about this one?“ Lauren pointed at another ad, but Bo was sitting up straight, squinting at their surroundings. “What is it?” Lauren asked.

Bo shook her head, taking one last look before returning to the paper. “I thought someone was watching us…”

Lauren smiled and reached for her hand. “Relax, I’m sure it’s nothing.”  
__

_I saw you with her again today, sitting on that park bench by the clinic, eating lunch. I’m guessing by the way your hands always seem to find each other that this isn’t new. You look so different, all grown up, and yet so much the same. I doubt you would recognize me if you saw me watching you. You’d probably pass me on the street without another look and, to be honest, I deserve that. I don’t know what brought me here to you, but here I am, too afraid to walk up to you and tell you that it’s never going to go away--what we did--but you have to stop punishing yourself._

She kisses you and I know she’s the real deal, possessor of your heart and I’m happy for you. You deserve the kind of happiness that spreads across your face like a ray of sunshine. And you deserve to be loved by the biggest, softest heart there is because life has been hard, Lauren, and if we can’t be together then at least I know you’re looked after.  
__

Bo pushed through the doors at the Dal and half-expected a rousing welcome when heads on swivels turned to see who it was. But no chorus of ‘Bo!’ erupted and the group all turned their attentions back to their drinks. Bo shrugged it off and walked toward the bar. Dyson was smiling, something Bo hadn’t seen him do with any regularity in as long as she had known him. Trick had apparently given Dyson the greatest gift--happiness that came from a life spent doing what he enjoyed.

“Dyson…” She clambered onto a bar stool as Dyson placed her preferred drink in front of her. 

“Back so soon?” He smiled.

Bo took a slug of her whiskey. “Lauren doesn’t want me hanging out at the clinic.” 

“And you’re not taking it well, I presume?” he asked, as if he already knew the answer.

“I dunno,” Bo said. “We haven’t been _us_ in so long and as un-cool as it sounds, I just want to be around her.”

Dyson bowed his head and swallowed his pride. “Absence does makes the heart grow fonder.”

Bo rolled her eyes. “I think I liked you better when you didn’t spout lovelorn idioms.”

He tossed his polishing rag from one hand to the other and shrugged. “How’d it go with the Elders?”

“Oh, I threatened them, they threatened me… You know, the usual.”

Dyson chuckled, pouring another pint of beer and sending it down the bar. “What did you expect?”

“I thought after my father, they would at least listen to what I had to say…”

“The Elders are set in their ways. They’ve had a thousand years to perfect their brand of exclusion.”

She sighed, looking into her tumbler. “What am I going to do?”

Dyson leaned on the bar. “This might seem crazy but… Have you spoken to Evony?”

Bo blinked. “You’re right, that is crazy. I doubt Lauren would forgive me if I involved her in our lives anymore than she already is.”

“Who are we discussing?” Lauren’s hand squeezed her shoulder and smiled at Bo before nodding to Dyson. “Hey.”

“Dyson suggested I enlist her Evony to help with the Elders.”

Lauren considered it and shrugged. “I hate to say it, but that sounds like it might work.”

Bo was shocked. “You’re okay with this, then?”

“Bo…” She smiled and shook her head. “It’s fine. My issues with Evony are… many, but Dyson’s right, you need her help. You should talk to her.”  
__

The next day found Lauren as she had been for the days and weeks before--dutifully fulfilling her research. Test after test that was unsuccessful on this day and she was beginning to feel the heat. Her hands shook as she reached for an Erlenmeyer flask, shaking so badly that she had to set it down again. She slipped out of her nitrile gloves and tossed them in the trash, pulling open the drawer to her desk and retrieving a bottle of prescription pills. Vibrating, she poured a pair of pills into her palm. She threw them back and took a sip of from a bottle of water, swallowing them down. 

A sigh, she waited for the change to come, for her hands to calm and her mind to stop racing over the inevitability of this disease. She was losing a battle other, more qualified scientists had waged for years. Why did she think she would be the one to make the breakthrough? How did she have a chance in hell, when her hands shook so bad she couldn’t hold a pen and she kept forgetting the last part of the equation she needed to define her experiment.

She stuffed her hands in her lab coat pockets and waited for the pills to kick in, pills she only had admitted her need for in the past few days, but still she hid it from her staff and from Bo. Lauren didn‘t know why she did that. Why the constant obfuscation of her truth to Bo, in particular, was so pervasive in their relationship when she knew that she would be supportive? 

Slowly, control began to come back to her. Pharmaceuticals were a necessary evil as a doctor and they had their place, that was to be sure, but Lauren had always resisted them for herself. In this case, however, she had no choice. It was either expose her illness to her colleagues and Bo and change the way they looked at her forever or hide it as long as she could and live as normally as she could manage with the help of the pills until she couldn‘t hide it anymore.

Lauren looked at the clock, eager for Bo to break her “no visiting” rule. She was scanning the waiting room from the window in her lab door when an ambulance pulled in. The thing about working in a Fae and Human hospital was that she never knew what was coming in next. It could be a Wood Nymph with a grass allergy or a Human with a gunshot wound… like today.

The gurney barreled through the clinic into the O.R. and Lauren rushed in as the paramedics were updating her colleagues on the victim’s status.

“White male, thirties, gunshot wound to the abdomen…”

Their voices trailed off and static filled Lauren’s ears. She couldn’t stop staring at his face, with a bloody thumbprint on his cheek from the paramedics mechanisms.

“Doctor Lewis!” A voice shouted and Lauren blinked. “We need you, Doc.” 

Lauren stepped in and began chest compressions on the fading patient. “Breathe!” Lauren barked.

As the patient became more and more dire, Lauren became more and more insistent with the compressions. There was so much blood, even as her colleagues tried to stop his bleeding and Lauren knew this was a critical time.

“We’re losing him!” A voice shouted.

“We are not losing him,” Lauren yelled back and charged the defibrillator. “Clear!” 

All hands pulled away momentarily as she pressed the paddles against his chest and his body tensed. A blip and then nothing. “Clear!” She shouted again and shocked him again. Nothing. She adjusted the dials on the cart. “Clear!” Again and again she received no indication that he was coming back. She reached for the cart again when a hand covered hers.

“He’s gone.”

“No.” She shook her head. “We can’t give up on him.” She charged the paddles again.

“Lauren, _he’s gone._ ” Martin said.

The sound of the flatlining electrocardiograph monitor was deafening. Lauren looked around at her colleagues who all, in turn, looked back at her waiting for her to call it.

“Time of death?” Martin pressed.

Lauren looked at the clock on the wall. “Fifteen-oh-two.” 

Martin switched off the monitor and patted Lauren on the back. “Can’t save them all, Doc.”

She waited as the members of her team filed out of the room and stared at the victim, bloodied and still, she walked to his side. Lauren lifted his hand and turned it over in hers before caressing his face. “What happened to you?”  
__

“Lauren tells me you are in need of my expertise…” Evony purred.

“That’s one way to put it, I guess.” She eyed the butler that poured tea into a fine china teacup. “I need help with the Elders.”

Evony laughed gregariously. “Honey, you need more help than I can give if you’re still peddling that unaligned bullshit.”

“The very one.” Bo nodded.

“Trick didn’t do you any favors by keeping you from the Elders. All they know of the unaligned Succubus is that you don’t like rules and the Elders _love_ rules.”

Bo sighed. “So what about all that with my father?” she said.

Evony smiled sweetly. “Oh, Bo,” she sang, dropping a sugar cube in her cup. “The Elders have _such_ a short memory of favors.”

“Figures.” Bo slumped in her chair. “I suck the chi out of an entire city, bring said city back to life, _Elders included_ and I’m still not taken seriously.”

Evony scoffed. “You are still such a child.” Bo glared at her and she sighed. “Okay, okay. The Elders like to be pampered, they like the pomp and circumstance shit.” She sipped her tea. “If you want them to like you, throw them a party.”

Bo blinked. “A party.”

“The Elders are fickle, sweetie, and they hate anyone who’s more powerful than they are.” Evony shrugged. “It worked for me.”  
__

_It was raining. The downtown lights reflected on the pavement as Lauren looked at the man in front of her critically. “I’m leaving tonight. Please don’t follow me.”_

“Lauren,” he said. “I didn’t know there would be people there.”

“Did you even check?” Her voice was harsh, cold and angry.

“I thought it would be okay.”

“It’s not okay, Ben. This is not okay. You killed eleven people and I helped you do it. Our lives are over. We will always be on the run.”

“So run with me,” he said.

“I can’t.” She turned, suitcase in hand and walked toward the bus station.

“Don’t do this, Lauren,” Ben said.

“I have to.”  
__

A knock echoed in the silence of her thoughts and Lauren looked up from the body in front of her. She could barely focus on the doorway out of the operating room, her head in a fog.

“Hey,” Bo said, confused. She stood in the doorway and surveyed the carnage of a lost patient. “You weren’t answering your phone… I was worried.” Lauren smiled a sad smile and nodded at Bo. “What’s going on, Lauren?”

Lauren took a breath. “This is my brother, Ben.”

Bo’s jaw nearly dropped. “Your _brother_?” She frowned and looked at the man on the gurney. The resemblance was eerie and unmistakable. “He’s your twin. What happened?”

“He was shot on a street corner a few blocks away.”

“What are the odds?” Bo wondered aloud.

Lauren laid Ben‘s hand down at his side. “I thought the same thing,” she said. “I need you to find out who did this, Bo.”

Bo nodded, already feeling like she knew the answer. Bo stood stock still in the doorway watching Lauren sitting with her elbows on her knees, staring at her hands. “Are you okay?” 

She shook her head. “I couldn’t save him.”

“Lauren…”

“What’s the point, Bo?” She said, defeated.

Bo stepped into the room, careful to avoid the blood that seemed to be everywhere. “Life is the point. You save people every day, Lauren.”

“But I couldn’t save my own brother.”

“That’s because some asshole shot him in the gut, not because you aren’t a good doctor.”

A sad smile spread across her face. “I should have told you.” She shook her head. “I’m sorry.” She had spent years hiding from talking about the past and now that it was safe to do so, she still couldn’t seem to communicate. Not even with Bo.

“Let’s go home,” Bo said, smoothing a hand across Lauren’s back.

“I don’t want to go home.” Her voice was sad and it broke Bo’s heart just a little bit more.

“Okay.” She nodded. “Let’s get you out of here.”

Lauren touched Ben’s blond hair and then his cheek one last time. She kissed her fingers and pressed them against his lips. “Bye,” she whispered and turned to Bo who ushered her out of the O.R.  
__

It was early. Bo had taken Lauren back to her hotel room where she made sure that she ate something and laid beside her in the bed that felt small and uncomfortable compared to Bo’s old four-poster bed. Bo tried to be accommodating and compassionate even as Lauren didn’t cry or fuss or say much of anything. She stroked her hair, Lauren’s head pressed firmly against her breast and held her until sleep came. Bo listened to her breathing slow and let the cadence of her breath fall in line with hers.

She heard rustling before she realized that Lauren had left her alone in bed. Sitting up bleary eyed, Bo rubbed her face. “Where are you going?”

Lauren was quietly buttoning her shirt and looking around for her jeans. “I can’t sleep so I’m going to get a head start on some experiments.”

“Lauren…” Bo smiled and sighed. “You need to take a day off. Your brother--”

“Is dead.” Lauren’s arms dropped to her sides. “I know that better than anyone.”

“Take a day.” Bo clambered out of bed in her underwear. “Let yourself grieve.”

“I just _can’t,_ ” Lauren snapped.

Bo stopped, taken aback by the sharpness in her tone. “Why? Why can’t you just stop and recharge your batteries?”

“Because I don’t _have time._ ” She looked at the floor as if it held all the answers. “I’m sick, Bo.”

Bo’s face went slack. She didn’t hear that right. “I don’t understand.”

Lauren took a step forward and swallowed, reaching for her and then holding back. “When I was the conduit, it triggered something in me. A dormant gene for Parkinson’s disease.”

“No…” Bo shook her head. She already had so few years with Lauren, she couldn’t imagine losing her any sooner. She had to do something, the voices inside her pulled her heart in every direction until she kissed Lauren, her hands holding her shoulders.

Lauren was stiff. “Bo…” She tried to talk, but Bo kissed her again.

“Let me do this,” she breathed, her lips moving to Lauren’s jaw.

Her head fell back as Bo continued to her throat, to her shoulder, her body craving the touch before her mind realized it. Bo led Lauren back to the bed, backing her gently to the mattress. Her kiss was slow and molten, it pulled Lauren back and forth, and before she could do it herself, Bo had undone Lauren’s shirt in one pull. Bo’s hands covered her body like she hadn’t seen it in months.

“I’ll fix this,” Bo said between kisses, her breath hot. “Let me heal you.”

Lauren groaned as the kisses traveled between her breasts. “Bo… You know that’s not how it works…”

Bo crawled up Lauren‘s body, straddling her hips. She panted, having worked herself up and now wanted nothing more than to give Lauren back at least something for all the help she‘d given her. “Let me try,” she said, her lips red with excitement. “I can do things I couldn’t before.” Lauren stared at her, science and magic waging another battle in her head. “At least let me try,” she repeated. “You‘ve seen what I can do, Lauren. I _know_ this will work.”

The look they exchanged could have set fire to the room. Lauren swallowed, wanting desperately to believe the Fae powers in Bo could magically heal her, but the scientific side of her brain had held dominance in her logic for too long. Bo was waiting, it was torture for her, Lauren could tell, but she waited for the go ahead. And that was always something that attracted Lauren to her in the first place. It made her feel safe.

Bo licked her lips, sweat beading on her forehead. “Lauren…”

She blinked, her eyes focusing on Bo’s face. “Do it,” she said quickly, quietly. As Bo leaned down, Lauren leaned up and their mouths met in a furious kiss. She wrapped an arm around Lauren and pulled her into her lap.

Bo hummed when Lauren’s fingers raked along her back and she kissed her again, her fingers trailing along her favorite path until they disappeared between them. Lauren gasped when she touched her, escaping the kiss for breath. This was what she craved to witness, a moment of unadulterated passion, no filters, no walls, the purest form of sexual energy. A creation for any typical encounter to feed through her thrall, Bo would never need it with Lauren. Her energy with Bo was always better than most, even better than some Fae. And when her fingers slid inside her she was treated to a spectacular light show.

Bo kissed her, her heart pounding for her. “I love you,” she whispered before she started the exchange.

Lauren’s eyes closed when the chi flowed into her, the warmth pouring over her. She had been - fortunately and unfortunately - on the receiving end of a chi suck before, its arresting and arousing pull was an experience she didn‘t regret, but it wasn‘t one she really wanted to repeat. But the transfer of chi into her body was completely different. She felt fuller, brighter, happier. The paralyzing affect was similar, her arousal still stoked by the exchange, but the feeling of fear was gone, replaced by one of safety.

Bo wrapped her free arm around Lauren’s back, concentrating as much of her chi reserve into her, praying to whoever that was listening that this would help. She needed this. She needed Lauren. When the chi flow stopped, Bo’s hand started, not allowing Lauren the chance to qualify the experience like she knew she would. Her head swam as she watched Lauren stretch backwards, pushing against the hand between her legs. The energy did little to compensate for the lost chi, but Bo pushed Lauren onto her back anyway, pouring more chi into her. She felt the life leave her body, just as she felt it be absorbed and her chest complained under the effort. She pushed on because this was her chance, for herself and for Lauren.

It wasn’t long before Lauren tore her mouth away from the stream as she arched against Bo. The timbre of her voice was higher, a tone Bo didn‘t always hear. Her hands grasped at Bo’s shoulders as her hips moved, slowing as her breathing did. Bo slid to the side, leaning into Lauren as she watched her, wondering if she would notice a difference in her if it worked. Soon her eyes grew heavy, her arm draping across Lauren’s waist. Despite the burn inside her, Bo rested her head on the pillow next to Lauren and she was asleep in minutes.  
__

She heard Lauren rustling in the kitchenette of her suite before the smell of coffee roused Bo from her slumber. Her lips were dry, hell, her whole body felt like jerky. Everything ached as she rolled onto her side with a groan. Lauren was sitting at the side of the bed watching her; waiting. She smiled and like the morning sun does to the sky, she cast her beauty onto Bo.

“You look terrible.”

“Flattery will get you everywhere, Doctor.” Bo sat up gingerly, pulling the sheet around her.

She passed a cup of coffee to Bo. “You’ll need to feed. You gave up too much last night.”

Bo ignored the admonishment. “Did it work?”

Lauren held up her free hand. “Steady as can be.”

Bo smiled. It was a smile of relief and victory. “How do you feel?”

“Good.” She nodded. “I mean, I don’t know if it was a good night’s sleep or the chi of a hundred Fae, but I feel good.”

Bo laughed. “Good.”

“You, though…” Lauren set her coffee aside and swept her thumb across Bo’s cheek. “You need to rest.”

Bo nodded solemnly. It had been awhile since she had fed from the general population but she would need to make an exception. She was far too depleted to rely on Lauren’s chi alone, even if she wanted to take from her after giving up so much to save her. “I will,” she said finally. “Where are you going?”

Lauren smiled at her before she pulled her hand away. “I have to go in to the clinic this morning,” she said and began to gather her things. “I can bring back a few things to help speed up your recovery and get you back on the street in no time.” She closed her eyes and shook her head. “That’s not what I meant.”

Bo chuckled. “It’s okay.” She leaned over to the table next to her bed and reached for her phone. “I don’t think I’m going to be much company anyway. I’m going to have Bruce meet you there.” She was overdoing it again, but Bo felt better that she’d at least bolstered her health. She only hoped it lasted.

Lauren paused, replacing files in her bag. “What for?”

“It’s getting too dangerous. I’d just feel better if you had someone to look after the you and clinic.” 

“That‘s really not necessary.”

“No arguments, please.”

Lauren sighed. “If it will keep you happy.”

Bo smiled and bowed her head. “It would.”

Lauren nodded and smiled, staring at Bo, wrapped in a sheet; she was a divine vision. “If you insist.” She leaned down and kissed Bo gently. “Stay in bed, drink plenty of fluids and I’ll be back later to check on you.” Taking a long minute to think before slinging her bag over her shoulder, she seemed stronger, and it was obvious she was thinking the same thing. “See you soon.”

END PART TWO


	3. Chapter 3

PART THREE

Lauren entered the clinic through the front and nodded at Bruce who was already there, holding the space next to the registration desk as she breezed past. She was not there to work, she was not there to socialize, she had one purpose. Pushing through the doors to her lab, she made a beeline for the property lockers. She looked down the list and found Ben’s name. She opened the locker with his number assigned to it and removed a manila envelope with his belongings in it. Closing the locker and replacing the keys, Lauren walked to the door and peered through the window at Bruce, still dutifully guarding the clinic. She turned and walked to the rear of the lab where another exit awaited her, and she slipped out the back.

The sun was blinding as she staggered through the alley, shielding her eyes with the back of her hand. She made her way to the park across the street where she sat on the familiar park bench where she would so often meet Bo. Taking a deep breath, Lauren opened the flap of the envelope. She reached inside and poured it into her lap. A wallet, an envelope, a hotel room key, and a crumpled up receipt for a cup of coffee from the kiosk down the street. She looked at the logo on the keycard and recognized it immediately. She drove past that hotel every day and it, too, was a block away. Lauren tucked the belongings back in the envelope, except for the keycard, which she pocketed and headed for the hotel just down the street.  
__

Lauren was out of breath when she reached the hotel, her feet carrying her there as fast as her mind was racing. And though she had never been inside the hotel before, she walked with a mission through the lobby to the elevator and tapped the button. She waited for the elevator car to unload before entering and ascending to the fifth floor. She found his room easily, a few doors down from the ice machine. 

She tapped the keycard against the electronic door lock, the light turned green, and she pushed inside. The maid had been in to clean already--she doubted he had become a neat freak in the time spent apart--but she inhaled anyway, hoping to catch his scent. She sat on the end of the bed and stared into the mirror, a familiar picture was snugly tucked into the corner of the mirror’s frame. Standing, Lauren plucked the picture from the mirror and retreated to the end of the bed again. The photo was of Lauren and Ben--they couldn’t be more than eight years old--with the brightest of smiles. Ben’s arm was around her neck and her mother was behind the camera. Lauren couldn’t believe that she remembered that, but she did.

She set the photo aside with the manila envelope and crossed the room to his suitcase on the chair in the corner. Unzipping it and lifting the top of the suitcase, Lauren peered inside. A pair of worn jeans and a concert t-shirt were all that contained therein. She searched the pockets and recreated his last days. He’d been in town three days as near as she could tell from the receipts that she found in various places. She cocked her head at the alarm clock and walked toward it. Resting between the buttons was an immaculately rolled joint. _It appears some things haven’t changed at all._ He was still on the run, single, and alone. And Lauren had left him out in the cold.  
__

The Camaro chattered as she pulled into the clinic’s parking lot and Bo pulled her sunglasses down her nose to judge the parking spot she had her eye on. The day was beautiful and Bo wished she weren’t at the clinic to check on Lauren. If it were up to her, Lauren would be holed up with her in that opulent hotel room until she knew she was okay. Instead, Lauren insisted on going to work so Bo was going to insist that she take a break and enjoy the weather with her. 

Bo breezed through the clinic’s sliding glass doors and nodded at Bruce who held massive domain near Lauren’s lab door. She greeted him cordially with a smile and a pat on his enormous bicep as she squeezed past into the lab.

“Lauren?” She called out. 

It was too quiet. There were no sounds of rustling or of any signs of Lauren. Bo knew she wasn’t there without a shadow of a doubt and she couldn’t explain how or why. Her eyes scanned the laboratory for a clue but nothing stood out. If Bruce thought Lauren was still in the lab she must’ve left by the side door. Bo pushed through the door, and into the alley. She could see the park from there and followed the path she was certain Lauren had taken to the park bench they had shared many meals upon. 

She pulled her phone from her boot and dialed Lauren’s number.  
__

Lauren had been staring at the minutiae of Ben’s shaving kit for the better part of an hour when her phone chirped.

She looked at the caller ID and sighed. “Hello?”

_“Where are you?”_

She opened her mouth but kept her words locked away tightly.

_“Talk to me, Lauren.”_

“I need some time, Bo.” Lauren pushed and Bo pulled.

_“I know you’re close.”_

The door lock clicked. “I can’t talk right now,” she said and the line went dead.  
__

Bo stared at her phone. “Shit.”

And then the strangest feeling overtook her. An emotion--fear--rumbled through her body. Bo looked around trying to divine where she had gone next and then, without warning, she took off running and she ran down the street until she saw the hotel sign and she knew that was where Lauren had gone. Bo walked through the revolving door, past the crowd of tourists at the front desk waiting to check in and to the elevator. Blind luck or intuition had brought Bo this far, but Lauren could be on any of the twelve floors, in a hundred rooms. She called the elevator and when the doors parted, Bo saw her, face drawn, eyes downcast.

Bo took a step forward and took Lauren’s hand, leading her out of the elevator. “Are you okay?”

“How did you find me?” Her voice was quiet and troubled.

“I…” Bo considered her question. “I can’t explain it. I can feel you in my bones.”  
__

“He took everything.” Lauren was frustrated. She wasn’t someone who did the P.I. thing often--once in a blue moon with Bo--so when the grizzled man opened the door to Ben’s hotel room, she was unprepared. She’d hung up on Bo who was her lifeline and wound up staring down the barrel of his gun as he looted the room and erased all evidence of Ben’s existence.

“I’m just glad you’re safe,” Bo said earnestly.

“Except this.” It was the photo of her and Ben. Lauren dropped into her office chair and looked up at Bo. 

“What is it?” Bo asked, sitting on the desk, before she saw Lauren’s hands trembling. They tightened into fists, trying to force it to stop.

“It didn’t work.” Lauren closed her eyes, unable to bear witness to the utter destruction on Bo’s face.

She shook her head. “So we’ll do it again. We can’t give up on this.”

“Bo…” Lauren was defeated. Her brother was dead, Bo was in pieces, and she was dying a slow and, in her mind, an undignified death.

“Look, I felt something today,” Bo said, “when I was looking for you.”

Lauren sighed. “Bo, you were scared.”

“There’s no way I could have known where you were, Lauren.”

“Your olfactory nerves are far more evolved than a humans--”

“Don’t do that.” Bo pointed. “I know what I felt.”

“Look, Bo, I’m fresh out of answers.”

Bo hopped off her desk and knelt in front of Lauren, her hands on Lauren’s hips. “You’re not quitting. Not now. Not after we fought this long and this hard to be together. I won’t let you.”

A weak smile crossed Lauren’s face. “I love you, Bo, but we have to be realistic.” 

“Since when? Everyone said a Fae and a Human couldn’t be together but we did it. They said you couldn’t turn a Fae, Human or a Human, Fae and you did that, too. We were made for defying the odds.” Bo’s eyes glistened with unspent tears. Her hands gripped Lauren’s waist and squeezed. “Please.”

Lauren took a deep breath and tried to blink the tears from her eyes. Her trembling hands came to rest on Bo’s face and she kissed her. “I should get back to work then,” she said as they parted.  
__

They stood in front of the solid oak door, the massive brass knocker staring them right in the face. The mansion was immense and foreboding, but the grounds were immaculately kept.

“I can’t believe we’re going to do this,” Lauren said under her breath as Bo rang the doorbell.

“Evony offered to help us and I think we should take her up on the offer.” 

“Okay, but dinner?”

“What? I think it’s a nice gesture,” Bo defended.

The giant door swung open, revealing the butler, a large man, dressed immaculately in a tuxedo. “Welcome,” he said in a tone that was droll and anything but welcoming, and directed the women inside.

“Wealth makes me extraordinarily uncomfortable,” Lauren whispered to Bo.

“I used to live in a condemned building and it would have fit in the bathroom of this place,” Bo replied.

“Right this way,” he said, walking ahead of the pair.

The foyer was opulent, Queen Anne furniture lined the walls that were decorated by oil paintings and ornate mirrors. Their footsteps echoed off the gleaming marble floors as they walked down an unending hallway filled with mahogany and leading out to an immense garden behind the house. The impression it left was exactly what was intended: a distinct separation between the haves and have nots.

He led them into a massive room with a table that spanned its length. Evony, in all her regalia, sat at the head of the table awaiting their arrival.

“I was about to send a search party out for you,” Evony exclaimed. She waved a hand. “Nah, not really. I just thought you would never be so bold as to be late for dinner when your host was doing you a favor.”

“Sorry,“ Bo apologized. “We ran into some unfortunate luck.”

Evony looked at Lauren, who remained silent. “I heard you had yourself a little family reunion.” Lauren’s eyes were weary, and her heart was not in the fight on this occasion. “Aw, did I touch a nerve?”

“Leave her alone, Evony.”

“My, my, Succubus, I didn’t know you protected the good doctor from words, too.”

“Let it go. You know why we’re here.”

She nodded. “I do.”

“And?” Bo pressed.

“Let’s talk about it after dinner. Such distasteful things, I wouldn‘t want to spoil my appetite.” 

The butler coasted into the room with a silver platter and their meals. “Madame,” he said with a bow. “Dinner is served.” He quietly set their meals in front of them and left without another word.

Lauren looked down at her plate. A perfectly roasted rack of lamb glistened in the light. Couscous, cranberries, white asparagus and jus decorated the plate. This was how Evony ate every night. “Where’s Daddy Warbucks?” Lauren found her words once again.

“Away on business.” Evony said matter-of-factly, as she sawed into her bleeding chops.

“A match made in heaven,” Bo teased.

“Not everyone can be like you, Succubus, lover of all, friend to none.” Evony sneered. Lauren reached for the wine. “By all means, help yourself.”

Bo lowered her fork and leveled her gaze on Evony. She knew that she was just showing off but the sigh that escaped Lauren was desperate and Bo wasn’t sure how much more of Evony’s hospitality they could take. 

Lauren filled their glasses with a fifteen-hundred dollar bottle of pinot noir. At least she would enjoy her meal, in spite of the company. She lifted her glass in a toast: “To unlikely bedfellows.”

The sparkle in Evony’s eye and the grin on her face told Bo everything she needed to know about what had happened between them last year. Bo wasn’t jealous, well, maybe a bit, but she was with Lauren now and if Lauren could be okay with her extracurriculars, Bo had no right to question hers. But it was Evony, and Bo would be hearing about her conquest for years to come, she was sure of it. 

Bo sipped the wine. Her eyes grew wide and she smiled at Lauren. “This wine is amazing,” she said.

“Hubby has a world class wine cellar but he doesn’t drink the stuff anymore.” She shrugged. “More for me!” She threw her head back and laughed.

Evony had done well for herself as a Human. She would almost hazard to say, _better_ than she had managed when she was Fae. Less power and glee, sure, but Bo thought this Rich Housewives of Fae Town vibe really suited her. She wasn’t sure, though, if her husband was buried on the palatial estate’s grounds or if Evony was arranging for him to go missing at sea or down in a plane crash. One way or another, Bo was positive that he would not live to see his next birthday.

They ate in relative silence, shifty eyes gauging each other’s motives, Bo’s hand in Lauren’s lap, reassuring her that they were doing the right thing being there. As they laid their cutlery down, Evony grinned like the big bad wolf as he loomed over grandma. “It’s just so nice to have company,” she said and Lauren believed that she was sincere. To what end, she couldn’t say, but if she knew Evony like she thought she did, whatever came next would be a calamity. “I trust dinner was to your liking?“ She surveyed their empty plates. “Don’t they feed you at that hotel of yours?“ She chortled. “Let’s retire to the study for an after-dinner cognac and Parisian truffles.”

Evony scooted her chair away from the table and lead the way to the other room. Down the hall, around a corner and on the left was a massive library with an imposing fireplace at its heart. A small antique settee and a pair of wingback chairs flanked the fireplace. The room smelled of burnt embers and old books, it was a little slice of heaven for Lauren, but Bo couldn’t appreciate it. “It smells like an ancient pair of gym shoes in here,” she whispered behind her hand to Lauren, who cracked a smile for the first time that evening.

The butler, or, Mr. Belvedere as Bo liked to call him, arrived swiftly with the dessert flight: pastry, truffles, coffee, and cognac. Bo went from eating pop tarts toasted with a Zippo lighter to a bottle of wine that cost more than her car and gourmet meals, both at Evony’s and the hotel--she wasn’t sure what was becoming of her Bohemian lifestyle, but she was starting to worry.

Lauren received the fine crystal glass gratefully and sipped the incredible cognac she was poured. The bottle was a Lalique crystal decanter, it was unmistakable. It was an expensive bottle of cognac but Lauren was impressed by the restraint shown in not acquiring the most expensive bottle ever produced just to show off. But then, she reconsidered, they might’ve done just that instead opting not to share it with their guests. Whatever the case, the dark chocolate truffle that melted in her hand and her mouth was otherworldly, and the sip of cognac that followed was the closest food and drink had ever come to encompassing bliss for Lauren.

“So…” Bo started, sipping her cognac with a surprised look on her face. “This is incredible.” She looked at her glass.

Evony smiled her wolf smile again. “Such a rube.” She looked at Lauren. “How do you put up with it?”

“The sex is incredible.” Her delivery was ice cold and Bo turned on her heel, in disbelief of what she had just heard. 

“I can imagine…” Evony took a moment to consider them.

“Don’t strain yourself,” Bo said, plopping down on the settee and Lauren settled beside her. Evony sat across from the pair in a the Queen Anne revival chair.

“You’re here because you want to know if the Elders put out a hit on your brother or maybe even you, is that right?” Evony crossed her legs and inspected a truffle between her fingers before popping it into her mouth.

“In a nutshell.” Bo said and Lauren nodded along.

“Prigg warned you,” Evony smirked.

“What?” Lauren frowned and looked at Bo. “You didn’t tell me that.”

“We traded threats, I didn’t think for a minute he was serious, Lauren.”

“That’ll teach you.” Evony was enjoying Bo’s situation entirely too much.

“Not helping,” Bo said through clenched teeth.

“Why?” Lauren asked Evony.

“Honey, everyone knows if they want to get to Bo, all they have to do is mess with you.”

“Mess with?” She set her glass down angrily. “They killed my brother.”

“Yes, I heard. And a twin at that. I only wish that I had met him,” she said, another lecherous grin playing at her lips.

It was Bo’s turn to stand and step between the other women. “Evony, did you invite us here to help or to have a good laugh at our expense?”

“I have to choose?” When her smile faded she spoke again. “Oh, all right. If you want to get to Prigg and find out what happened, you need to talk to Vex. They go way back.”

“Why doesn’t that surprise me?” Bo crossed her arms. 

“That’s it? That’s why you invited us to your tormented dinner party?” Lauren was incredulous.

Evony sighed and let her hands fall into her lap. “I was lonely, and my Fae friends won’t be seen with me now.”

Bo and Lauren looked at one another. “So we’re it?”

“Look, I’m not exactly thrilled about it either. But we’re stuck with each other until the good doctor finishes what she started.”  
__

They walked out onto the concrete pad of the driveway, the night sky was nearly black, save the constellations sparkling in the darkness and Bo pulled Lauren’s hand from behind to slow her down.

“Look at the stars,” Bo pointed at Orion’s belt twinkling brighter than the stars around it. “It‘s so dark up here.”

Lauren stood beside Bo and turned her head to the stars. She realized she had been coasting since Ben’s death. She wasn’t awake, she was somewhere no one could touch her, not even Bo, but now, her hand gripped so firmly and the expression on Bo’s face as she stargazed, Lauren couldn’t deny, she was alive and it hurt, but ultimately loss was part of life. And she wanted to live. For as long as she could. Her eyes drifted from the sky to Bo’s face--her smile, those dimples, that spark in her eyes. Lauren took a step forward and kissed her fervently. 

When they parted Bo’s smile could have lit up the sky. “What was that for?”

Lauren looked away, an embarrassed smile tugging at her mouth. “Thank you.”

Bo had no idea what she had done but she nodded and gave herself a mental pat on the back as Lauren pulled away and began to walk down the hill to the Camaro. “Sorry about the e-brake,” Bo called.

“I don’t mind the walk.” She inhaled deeply. “It’s a nice night.”

Bo watched her walk ahead, appreciating her blonde hair blowing in the breeze and the sway of her hips, her heels click-clacking on the concrete. “You coming?” She tossed her hair and a smile over her shoulder at Bo.

Bo was rooted to the ground, falling for Lauren all over again. She couldn’t help the look of awe that spread across her face, a look that the other woman had nurtured in her. She jogged after her. “Where to?” She said breathlessly with a lopsided smile, fumbling for her car keys.

“Your place.” There was no hesitation, no pause for effect, Lauren wanted her. She stole a glance at Lauren over the roof of the car before sliding into the driver’s seat. Tonight was full of surprises.  
__

She was changed, Bo could feel it and she could see it in her aura. She burned brighter than ever, it was almost blinding. When she slipped out of her coat and walked toward Bo, Bo thought she might never recover. The back of her knuckles grazed Bo’s cheek, a sly smile that she saved for Bo and Bo alone, and then her passion threatened to overwhelm them both. She was caught up and overrun, Bo was out of her depths and it was amazing. 

Lauren kissed her with authority, her love apparent with the care she took even in the midst of her whirlwind. Clothes were unbuttoned, unzipped and torn away. Their bodies crushed together as they fell onto the bed.

Lauren was an excellent lover, but it was rare that she took charge and tonight was an exception to the rule. Bo was on her back, Lauren looming over, kissing her and touching her in ways that made her weak and weakness had never been so appealing.

Her hand slinked down Bo’s body, slowly and methodically moving between her legs. Lauren’s mouth was against her cheek, her eyelashes fluttering against Bo’s forehead when she pushed inside. Bo arched off the bed, moaning: “Lauren, Lauren…” Her name was a mantra, unequivocally Bo’s as she drifted away, slipping down her body.

When Lauren’s mouth sought her out again, Bo’s hips jumped. Sublime pleasure coursed through her, and she clutched at the sheets. There would never be another moment exactly like this one and Bo savored every second of it. And when Lauren crawled up the length of Bo’s body, her chest heaving with effort, Bo wasted no time in coaxing her own name from Lauren’s lips.

Their bodies intertwined, desperate and zealous. Bo took control, striking back with an equal and opposite force. She teased her, drawing her out and the fire inside began to build again. It went on like this for hours--the push and pull of a love well-spent--until exhaustion began to slow the pace.

Moonshine shone in from the large window, lighting up a streak across the bed. They laid back against the pillows, catching their breath.

“I don’t want to die,” Lauren said, the vulnerability in her voice made Bo’s heart tighten in her chest.

“Everyone dies,” Bo said softly. “Legacies fade…”

“What’s left then?” Lauren nuzzled her neck.

The smile that dawned on Bo’s face then could only have been described as naïve and all-knowing rolled into one. “Love.” She bowed her head. “We have that in spades.”

“Love has never been our problem.” Lauren nodded.

“So stop getting ahead of yourself. We’re going to beat this.” The conviction in her voice sent goosebumps rippling across her skin. If Bo could believe in her, and in a cure, Lauren could make it happen.

END PART THREE


	4. Chapter 4

PART FOUR

The long hall of Fae Elders that looked down on them wasn’t as menacing as she thought it would be as her heels pounded the marble floors. Vex followed her briskly, looking left and right as they passed open office doors.

“Succubus.” She heard his smarmy voice behind her and spun around in front of the large doors outside the Elders‘ main hall. “Back so soon?” 

“We need to talk.” Bo turned to elbow Vex in the side and he hopped to attention.

“Priggy! How ya been, mate?” Vex playfully punched Prigg’s arm.

Prigg looked from Vex‘s hands up to Bo. “How many people will die before you fall into line and your doctor stops trying to resurrect the fallen Morrigan?”

 _Okay. Hardball._ Bo narrowed her eyes at him. “We will not be intimidated. Not by you, not by anyone.”

Prigg chuckled and shook his head. “Insolent girl.” He stepped close to her. “There is another way the experiments will stop.”

Her blade was at his throat in one quick move. “I told you to leave Lauren out of this.”

“Whoa!” Vex removed Bo’s blade from Prigg’s neck. “Easy girl. I think what Bo was trying to say is, the doctor’s involvement is minimal, there’s no need to involve her further.”

Prigg wiped his throat with the back of his hand. “It’s obvious to me that I’ve touched a nerve. Tell me, do you feel as passionately about all humans or is Dr. Lewis the exception to the rule?”

“Lauren and I are simpatico.”

“Is that what they’re calling it these days?”

“Look, Pig--”

“Prigg,” he corrected.

“Whatever. Touch a hair on Lauren’s head and I’ll kill you.”

He smiled at her and shook his head. “With Trick not around to protect your absurd unaligned lifestyle from our reach, you can expect some changes.”

“You can keep your reach around and your changes. And I’ll keep my lifestyle.”

Prigg reached for the doors to the main hall. “This is where we part ways.”

Vex held up a finger. “If I may… Bo has some interesting ideas for our colony.”

“I have heard enough.” He yanked open the large wooden door and disappeared inside. Vex nodded at Bo and slipped through the door after Prigg.

Bo sat on a bench across from the hall and waited for her not-so secret weapon to emerge. Fifteen tedious minutes of following the swirls and patterns in the marble floors and feet shuffling before Vex emerged. The doors slammed shut behind him. “Yeah, they did it.”

Bo rolled her eyes. “Tell me something I don’t know, genius.”

Vex put his hands on his hips. “My aren’t we a sour succy-face today!”

“Vex,” she warned. “I need to find the shooter.”

“Hmm…” He covered his mouth for effect. “Let me think.” Bo growled. “I might be able to help.”

Bo wrenched his arm behind his back. “I’m not in the mood.”

“I thought a succubus was _always_ in the mood.” He giggled and she twisted his arm further. “Okay, okay, okay! I need that hand, it’s my favorite.”

“Oh, gross.” She pushed him away.

“Are you hungry?” 

She made a face. “Not now.“

“Doesn’t matter.” Vex strutted down the hall and waved her on. “I know just the place.”  
__

The bell on the door chimed when Vex and Bo entered the diner. Vex pulled her back and walked in front, to a plain man that could pass for fifty when, in fact, he was a thousand-year-old Fae. Vex slid into the booth across from the man and Bo sat beside him.

“Seat’s taken,” the man said.

“We can chat until your friend comes back, can’t we?” Bo smiled.

He leveled his gaze across the table. “Leave me alone, Succubus.”

“Afraid I can’t do that,” Bo said, leaning forward. “You see, I have it under good authority that you killed someone very important to someone very important to me.”

The man nodded his head at Vex. “Is he your good authority?”

“Oy!” Vex held his hands up. “Leave me out of it. I’m just here for the pie. Kinda like Bo here.” Bo elbowed Vex in the side. “Ow!” he giggled. “Someone needs to loosen up.”

She ignored him and instead poked at the glass bowl with a puddle of melting ice cream in it. “Your ice cream is melting.”

“That’s how I like it,” he growled.

Bo retracted her hand casually. “Look, that was her brother you killed.”

He took another bite of his sandwich. “I know who he was.”

“Can you tell me why, then?”

“The contract was to stop them from reuniting. Dr. Lewis is much too powerful to be fortified by her brother’s abject terrorism.”

“So you shot him down in the street like an animal.”

His eyebrows lifted and he shrugged. “Not my cleanest kill.”

Bo sat back in the booth, her frustration getting to an unmanageable level with this guy‘s dismissal of life. “So why now?”

“He was going to make contact--a letter delivered to the clinic.”

“Lauren didn’t say anything about a letter…”

“That’s because she never received it.” He reached into his breast pocket and retrieved an envelope.

Bo reached out for the letter before the man pulled his hand away. “Buddy, I’ve had a long day. Now give.”

“Prigg stiffed me for my expenses so I could give a shit what’s in this letter. Have at it.” He tossed the envelope onto the table, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and stood to leave. Tossing his napkin onto the table he looked at Bo. “Prigg is gunning for you.” And then he was gone.

As if on cue, the waitress arrived with the bill. Bo and Vex looked at one another, shifty eyes traveling from the amount to the other’s face. “I’m broke,” Bo said finally.

“And what, living in a motorhome makes me Richie Rich?”

“At least you have a home.”

“Oh, come on!” Vex exclaimed, you can’t play that card on me, Succubus. _You_ burnt yours down!”

Bo smiled. “It was worth a shot.” She sighed. “Seriously though, I don’t have anything.”

Vex frowned and pulled his wallet from his pants, the chain scraping against the table. He threw a gold card onto the table and reached out for the man’s half-eaten club sandwich.

“You’re kidding, right?” Bo could barely look at him.

“What? I have to pay for it, but I can’t eat it?”

“By all means,” Bo said.

“Ugh. It’s so dry!” he said, forming words around the sandwich in his mouth. “Who orders a club sandwich without mayonnaise?”

Bo rolled her eyes. “I’ll be outside. I can’t watch.” She slid out from the booth and the bell dinged as she exited the restaurant. Standing in front of the diner, she dialed her phone. “Lauren, it’s me.” she said into the phone. “I’ve got good news.”

Vex pushed through the doors and tapped his watch, still chewing noisily. 

_“Where are you?”_

Bo nodded at Vex. “On my way to you.”  
__

Lauren looked at her phone as the line went dead and sighed. Heavy footsteps behind her announced his impending presence. “Tea?” Bruce’s voice was surprisingly soft. She smiled up at him as he rounded the couch and set a cup of tea in front of her. He settled in the chair opposite to her. Lifting the teacup from its saucer to his lips, he sipped it quietly. Lauren followed in suit. “Green tea,” he said. “To help with the stress.”

“Thank you,” Lauren said with a nod. 

“It will relax your liver, create energy, and balance your emotions.”

She smirked. “It’s also loaded with powerful antioxidants like flavenoids and catechins.”

“You shouldn’t blame yourself, Dr. Lewis.” He set his teacup down on the saucer quietly. 

“I’m sorry?” She asked incredulously. 

“Green tea is used in the prevention of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, too.” Lauren set her cup and saucer on the side table. “I see the pieces the others ignore. Your hands shake, you’re forgetting things, Doctor but most of all I see the fear in your eyes. I know you think you’re alone,” he said, lowering his head. “But you’re not.”

Lauren sucked in a breath, her emotions rippling on the surface. “I’m going to fix this.”

He nodded. “Don’t let knowledge become a burden.”

It was as if Bruce knew all of Lauren’s secrets and one by one he was parsing them apart, exposing her weaknesses and her strengths. It was a surreal experience, one that Lauren could not afford to take for granted. “You’re very kind, Bruce.”

They both paused when they heard a key in the door. Bruce stood immediately and walked to stand between Lauren and the door. He crossed his arms and waited. Bo pushed through the door and took a step back when she saw Bruce. 

“Hi Bo.” His deep voice reverberated in the large room.

“Everything okay?” Bo asked, squeezing past Bruce. Lauren stood in the center of the room as Bo approached.

“What did you find out?”

“Lauren…” She smiled at the sight of her. Taking her hand, she took a few steps toward the sofa. “Sit with me.” Sitting beside her, Bo squeezed her hand. “Lauren,” she repeated. “It looks like Ben tried to make contact with you.”

Lauren swallowed. “Who stopped him?”

“Lauren…”

Her voice was steely. “Who stopped him?”

“The Elders.”

“ _Who._ Bo?”

“It was a Fae for hire.”

“You found him?” Lauren pulled her hand away. “Did you--?”

Bo shook her head. “No.”

“You just let him go?” Lauren’s face contorted in disbelief.

“It’s not like that.” She reached for Lauren, who held her hands out of range. “He gave me something.” Lauren’s hands fell into her lap. “For you.” Bo’s fingers slipped into her jacket and reappeared with a white envelope between them. She passed the envelope to Lauren, who examined its sharp corners and thick paper before tearing into it.

Lauren,  
I’ve been in town for nearly three days, biding my time, watching you. I came here because I’ve never stopped hoping you would change your mind. I have lived a lifetime without my friend and confidant. My twin. I know you, Lauren, better than anyone. Even that woman in black that seems to have claimed your heart.

I have watched you and the people in this strange world you’ve landed in with great interest. I write this letter because I see what you have and know that I cannot be a part of it. I know I will always be running and I know you feel the urge to run again, too. But you can’t. I won’t let you. This is where you are meant to be. You deserve a family that will be there for you. I can tell she loves you, adores you, even. Let her in.  
Yours,  
Ben

Lauren lowered the letter to her lap. “He just wanted a family.” She rested her head on Bo’s shoulder. “I can’t live like this anymore. The Fae still have me under their thumbs.”

“I’ll deal with the Elders.”

“They killed him because of me.”

Bo sighed. “No, this is on me. They wanted to send a message to the Unaligned. To me.”

“Does it matter? He’s gone and it may as well have been the Garuda that did it for all it matters.”

“What do you need from me? Anything. Just name it.”

“I need some air.” She grabbed her coat off a stool in front of the island and shrugged it over her shoulders.

“It’s too dangerous,” Bo argued.

“Doctor Lewis,” Bruce interjected. “Bo’s right--it’s not safe.”

She opened the door and looked back at the pair. “I’d rather see my fate coming than hide away from it, hoping it passes me by.”  
__

Later that night, Lauren had come to bed with a book--an ancient text from Trick’s library--and she leaned back against the headboard as she read it. And though Lauren had not spoken more than a few words since Bo gave her the letter, Bo was patient with her upon her return. She watched her over dinner, and followed her to bed early, just to be near her. At the light of the small bedside lamp, Bo flipped through a magazine while Lauren researched possible solutions to her situation, studying page after page of Fae texts.

A little past midnight, Bo was returning to the bedroom with some tea when it happened. “Wait,” Lauren said, sitting up straight. “This is it.” She stiffened and leaned forward, tapping a finger against the book. “This is _it._ ”

“What?” Bo smiled at her excitement, putting the mugs down on her side table. “What is it?”

Lauren looked up at her. “I think I found the missing piece to the formula.”

Bo sat down on the bed. “Does that mean you can make a cure?”

“If this book is right, I won’t need a cure.”

“Why do I feel a ‘but’ coming?”

“One problem, the key ingredient--a special plant--only grows in the jungle highlands of Sumatra.”

“I’ll be the first to admit I have no idea where that is, but it doesn’t sound close.”

Lauren smiled. She adored Bo’s easy ignorance. “No, it’s not.”

“Can you source the plant from an exporter? Maybe we should look into that before we leave the country.”

“Come on,” Lauren said, closing the book. “We haven’t had an adventure in awhile, we’re due.”

If you had told her it was Lauren who wanted to go on a globe-trotting quest and Bo who needed convincing, she never would have believed it. Bo looked into Lauren‘s hopeful eyes and sighed. “Famous last words.”  
__

Evony closed the pocket doors to the library, waving Lauren off as she leaned against them. “Privacy,” she said, reaching for the belt to her robe.

Lauren held a hand up to stop her. “That won’t be necessary. I only need your blood.”

“You call that a thorough examination?”

“Standard protocol is one full body examination per year.”

Evony pouted, her lips curling into a devilish smile. “You’re a doctor,” she purred. “You can bend the rules…for me.”

Lauren sighed, lifting her hand again. “Evony, I appreciate that you may be feeling something for me, but we can’t keep having these Mrs. Robinson moments. I’m with Bo.”

Evony laughed and cinched up her robe. “Don’t be silly, Doctor Lewis, my interest in you is purely _recreational._ ”

Lauren cleared her throat. “Please. Sit here.” She pointed at the settee and retrieved an alcohol wipe from her kit followed by a rubber band to tie off her arm. As she drew her blood, Evony leered at her and as much as Lauren didn’t want to take advantage of the situation, she also couldn’t miss an opportunity so ripe. “I think I’ve made some advances on our lifesaver.”

Evony’s lecherous gaze evaporated and a very serious expression was left in its wake. “Oh? Do tell.”

“When I searched Trick’s books for a lead I came up with an equation but the ingredient list proved sketchy at best. I’ve been working my way through these books in the hopes that I might find a clue that would lead us to the plant--”

“Sweetie!” Evony exclaimed. “We’re both going to be dead if this story goes on much longer. So you found it?”

Lauren nodded. “Sort of.” She gestured. “I know what we’re looking for and in the general area to look. I wish it were as easy as ordering up coffee beans.”

“So you want me to fund your scavenger hunt? A little honeymoon for the Succubus and the Doctor? How stupid do I look to you?”

“Evony… This could save our lives.”

“Our…?” Evony let her hands drop to her sides. “What’s wrong with you?”

“I’m sick, too.”

“You played with the Fae, didn’t you?”

Lauren sat on the coffee table across from Evony. “I made a huge mistake and I thought I could reverse it but that’s not what happened.”

Evony tsk’d. “And I put all my eggs into your basket? What the hell was I thinking?”

“Do this and if I’m successful, you’ll be better than Fae.”

Evony dropped her chin and stared intently at Lauren. “Never forget, I’m paying for results.”

END PART FOUR


	5. Chapter 5

PART FIVE

If had only been two days since Lauren dropped the bombshell about their upcoming trip. Bo spent those two days arguing with Vex over how best to organize a party for the Elders in her absence. Bo hated leaving it up to him and so she made sure her instructions were explicitly clear:

_“This needs to be tasteful, Vex.” He groaned. “I mean it. Our family depends on this going well, capice?”_

“Hoity-toity,” he said. “Tea, crumpets, multi-tiered biscuit trees…”

Bo made a face. “This isn’t high tea, Vex, it’s a gala. Elegant, classy…” At the look on his face, she pointed at him. “No strippers.”

“Aw come on, Bo…”

“So help me, Vex, if I come back to a gala of leather and lace, it’ll be your last.” She started gathering her things and she stopped, smirking at him. “But I might ask you to plan my birthday party.”

Vex clicked his tongue and winked at her. “Deal.”

Bo sighed, looking at the red line of their epic flight blink slowly across the screen a few rows up. She had never been on a plane before and found it to be a cramped and helpless experience. Lauren had filled the middle seat with books and maps of Indonesian topography, and Bo looked out the window at the full moon, illuminating the ocean below. They were racing toward the unknown, hovering above an ocean of opportunity, and Bo couldn’t sit still a minute longer.

“You know there’s something I’ve never been able to try…”

Lauren looked up from her texts and smiled sadly. “Bo…”

“C’mon, take a break. You’re prepared, Lauren.”

“I can’t.”

Bo shrunk back into her seat and stared out the window at the never-changing scenery. Lauren eyeballed her as she stood and squeezed past the seat overflowing with books and climbed over Lauren’s legs. _Legroom was meant just for idle legs, not for standing ones,_ Bo thought as she burst into the aisle with effort. She smiled at Lauren as she straightened her outfit and headed for the rear of the plane. 

Lauren returned her attention to the same line she had read twenty times over, unable to concentrate. She’d taken a huge risk leaving the colony. Yes, it hid many enemies but it also held a bounty of friends. They were exposed now in a world unknown to them both and Lauren was growing sicker by the week, unsure if her conduit ability had sped her disease’s progress as well. 

Forty-five minutes later, Lauren was still caught up in her own thoughts and Bo hadn’t returned. Sighing, she unbuckled her seat belt and stood in the aisle, scanning for signs of Bo. She thought she heard laughing coming from the bathrooms in the rear and followed her sinking heart. When she passed the bulkhead the flight attendant’s kitchen was teeming with staff… and Bo. The women flirted with her, touching her arm, her shoulder and one had even been so bold to touch her cheek--with her index finger--but it was enough for Lauren to feel uncomfortable so she revealed herself. 

When Bo set eyes on Lauren, her face lit up, her eyes burned and Lauren could see the difference between how Bo had looked at the other women and how she looked at her. “Did you change your mind?” And then that mouth. Lauren shook her head and returned up the aisle to her seat. Bo shrugged and finished her drink before gathering an armload of liquor and wandering back to her seat. Bo dropped the tiny bottles of liquor onto the pile of books and climbed over her, dropping into her seat. “Thirsty?” Her smile, as bright as it was clueless, and Lauren shook her head. “Aw, c’mon…”

Lauren looked up from a book momentarily. “I’m not jealous.”

“No, of course not.”

“I thought--”

“You thought I went in there with someone else.” Lauren started to protest when Bo interrupted her. “Don’t Karen Beattie me, Lewis.” A small smile pulled at Lauren’s mouth. “That’s better.” Bo thrust a cup of whiskey into her hand. “Now drink up, because I’m gonna ask you again later.”

Smirking she reached for Bo’s hand. “Thank you for this.”

Bo smiled so bright that Lauren actually squinted at her beauty. “I wouldn’t miss it.”  
__

The walls were thinner than they were at the Clubhouse, the lighting dim. But the plumbing worked and Bo stepped out of the dribbling shower, thankful she was able to wash away the endless hours of traveling. Two days flying, an hour in a cab that must have been from the fifties, and two hours on a bus with a man that tried to sell them a live chicken. By the end of it, she almost wanted to buy one just so he would leave them alone.

She walked out into the small hut, drying her hair with a towel. The place Evony’s agent had booked for them was modest in every sense of the word, but Bo really took to it. It had everything she needed, all the way from the beach view out a sliding glass door, to the doctor poring over the ever-present mountain of books on the tiny table next to the bed.

The sunset on the horizon drew Bo to the door, the warm breeze flowing over her skin. She shivered and looked over her shoulder, disappointed the walk by didn’t draw any attention.

“Lauren,” Bo said.

“Hmm?” Lauren pulled another book from the pile and flipped it open.

Bo looked out the at the sunset again. “You should come see this.”

“Bo, I’m sorry,” she replied, pointing a finger at a folded map in front of her. “But we leave first thing and…”

Bo grinned as Lauren trailed off and watched her eyes study her naked frame before blinking. “Well,” Lauren said simply. And then she blinked again, trying to memorize the glow of the sunset on her skin. “You have my attention,” she said, the smile finally crossing her face.

“So c’mere.” Bo’s excitement was a surprise to say the least. She waved her over to the door and Lauren pushed the books from her lap. Her steps were slow and Bo could tell she was tired. Her arms opened and Lauren stepped between them, backing into her embrace.

“It’s beautiful,” Lauren said. The sunset was vibrant against the silhouette of the forest of trees in the distance. The coast was quiet, the beach deserted and the water shimmered with the colors of the sky. Lauren closed her eyes and sighed.

Bo closed her eyes, too, holding Lauren against her. “I know you have to do this,” she said softly. “Just don’t think you have to do it alone.” Lauren took a deep breath, releasing it in a rush. Bo squeezed her again. “Now… do you want to tell me about this Fae we’re meeting tomorrow?”

Lauren lifted Bo’s arm and kissed the back of her hand. “I can do that,” she said, turning in her arms. “But first you have to put something on because you’re entirely too distracting.”

Bo grinned and Lauren’s eyes dropped to Bo’s mouth, the shy smile on her face was exactly what Bo had hoped for. “Okay, I’ll behave,” she said, throwing a mischievous grin over her shoulder. “For now.”  
__

It had rained overnight. Bo woke up to the sound of water dripping off the awning above the door to their hut and turned over with a groan, lifting an arm around the empty space next to her. “Lauren?” she called lazily. The small room was empty. Bo rubbed her eyes and pushed through the net around the bed. They had been up going over the plans, what they were looking for, how they were looking for it, and what they were going to do once they got what they needed.

When she stepped out into the living area, Lauren opened the door. Bo jumped, a hand coming to rest over her heart. “Jesus.”

“Sorry,” Lauren apologized. She lifted the styrofoam containers in her hands, an exotic mix of rice, egg, shrimp and lemongrass wafted into Bo‘s nose, making her stomach rumble. “I brought breakfast.”

They were going to drive up to a small village outside the jungle. They needed permission to enter the forest, a sacred space to the local Fae. While they worked their way through breakfast, Lauren went over meeting their guide in the village - a native from the area - who’d lead them to the secluded gorge that was the last known area to grow pygmy blossoms.

“It should take us a day and a half to get to the gorge and back again.” Lauren folded up the maps and stuffed them into the leather satchel at her feet. “Now, Bo,” she said, gathering some rice on her fork. “There are going to be bugs, are you okay with that?”

Bo speared a vegetable. “Ha ha,” she said with a smirk. “I’m not letting you traipse around alone with a strange Fae in a strange land because I can’t take a few bugs.” Lauren grinned. “Besides, you look incredible in those cargos.”

Lauren shook her head and got to her feet. “Come on, Casanova, we need to get moving.” 

“All business,” Bo said with a smirk.

Lauren hummed and tossed Bo a backpack. “We’ll see how tough you are in the middle of the jungle with all the centipedes.”

Bo swallowed, the backpack held tightly against her chest. “Centipedes?”

“Yeah,” Lauren grabbed a second backpack and slung it over her shoulder. “But don’t worry, the bites hurt, but they aren’t fatal.” She breezed past Bo and out the door to their hut, tossing the pack in the back of the truck’s cab. Bo still gripped her backpack when she reappeared. “Bo?”

“Are there really centipedes?”

Lauren smirked, ushering Bo out the door. “No, no centipedes.” She took Bo’s pack and put it in the back. “They’re millipedes, actually,” she said, slamming the truck door shut. “Now come on, you’re driving.”  
__

They traveled a few hours outside of the small city they’d flown in to, along well packed dirt roads and sprawling grass fields. Lauren watched the dark green tree line appear over the horizon. The jungle held what was Lauren’s last hope for an extended life with Bo, but more than that was a possible cure. A fresh start.

Lauren looked at Bo, her dark hair flying behind her in the humid air. Every day, Lauren swore she couldn’t get any more beautiful, but every day she did. And it didn’t matter if she was at the Dal, in Lauren’s bed, or driving a truck in the middle of Sumatra, Bo was infinitely breathtaking.

“Is something wrong?” she asked then, looking nervously at Lauren. “There isn’t a millipede on me, is there?”

“No,” Lauren laughed. “Just… enjoying the view.” The smile that Bo graced her with made her chest tighten. The excitement of this adventure was clear on Bo‘s face, but Lauren couldn’t hide the swirling storm of anxiety in her head. This wasn’t the first time she was in the middle of nowhere with the love of her life.

A sign passed on the side of the road, a crudely painted bird with large wings in a vibrant reddish-orange. A moment later was another sign with black writing, then another bird. The village they had been traveling to appeared from behind an outcrop of trees, guarded by a tall wooden fence, Bo pulled the Jeep to the side and killed the engine. She leaned forward, looking at that same reddish-brown paint in the shape of swirls and more birds.

“Pretty,” she said, eyeing the gate that started to open.

Lauren pushed the door open, her feet hitting the dirt and nodded at an approaching figure. He was small, but walked with clear confidence. The dusty army boots he wore were taped to his cargo pants, a long machete hung from his belt and a rifle across his back. His smile was wide when he arrived in front of Lauren and gripped her hand firmly.

“Dr. Lewis, I presume?” he asked with a lilt in his voice.

“Yes,” she shook his hand as Bo exited the truck and met them around the other side. “You must be Johannes.”

“That’s me,” he said, shaking Bo’s hand vigorously. “I’m very excited to be the guide of the great Succubus Queen. I’m the envy of all the Fae in the city.”

“That‘s very flattering, Johannes,” Bo started. “But we’re not here for pleasure.”

“Yes, yes, of course.” Johannes turned and waved for them to follow. “We have to see the Elders first,” he said. “We must ask permission to enter the jungle.”

They walked through the village and Lauren could feel every set of eyes that watched them. Whether through curiosity or scrutiny, the attention was unsettling. Like they were on parade. They passed a large structure, the size of a few homes that had a team of men and women at several steaming pots cooking rice, vegetables, and meat. The smell made her mouth water.

“I’m hungry,” Bo whispered as they passed.

Lauren smirked, noting the flags of that reddish-orange again, the shape of the bird in flight becoming very familiar. As they turned a corner, they came in front of a large building, one of few that had used stone and clay. The door was made of planked wood, that same bird emblazoned in a circle on it. 

Bo leaned close to Lauren. “I’m a little concerned by the volume of garuda images I’m seeing.”

“Hm,” Lauren hummed her agreement.

“It is true,” Johannes said. “The Elders of this jungle are the last remaining garuda.”

“That’s great,” Bo said, her arm dropping to her side. “Hi, sorry about your brother, can I trespass and pillage on your property?”

Lauren sighed. “Maybe they don’t know.”

“The story is well known in these parts,” Johannes interjected. “You and the doctor are legends.” He stepped between them and opened the door in front of them. “Come, they’re waiting.”

With a deep breath, Bo walked through the door and into a darkened room. Lauren followed her in, squinting against the darkness until her eyes could adjust. She turned to her right, the man there was just her height, but the intensity in his gaze made him an ominous figure. He held a long, curved shield decorated with beautifully intricate spirals. His only clothing was a loin cloth, a headband full of leaves and flowers, and the same flowing designs of his shield tattooed over his entire body. He smiled menacingly, his teeth filed into points and Lauren’s stomach dropped.

The rest of the room was dark, another three of the same warriors flanked the five figures at the front of the room and the far side. Candles and incense burned, the flickering fire the only sound in the hut.

“Succubus Queen,” the woman in the middle said.

Bo looked at Lauren who nodded her head toward the Elders. “Yes.”

“You seek entrance to the jungle.”

Bo nodded. “We do.”

“Aren’t you the unaligned succubus who murdered a garuda across the ocean?” This from an older garuda on the right.

Lauren narrowed her eyes at him. “He threatened the entire Fae colony. Light and Dark.”

“Silence, human,” he snapped.

 _“Hey,”_ Bo barked, pointing at him.

 _“Enough!”_ the woman in the middle yelled and all fell silent. “Our brother had fallen, William,” she said sadly. “He lost control of his ethics, of his morality.” She looked at Bo and Lauren. “These are highly prized by garudas. He deserved his end.”

“And now there are five of us,” another grumbled.

“All the better for us to make sure we do not follow in his footsteps.” She sat forward in her chair. “Now, succubus,” she started. “You are the most powerful Fae in the world, defeating ancient Fae and this rogue garuda. With the healer, you are nearly unstoppable.”

Bo leaned over to Lauren. “We have an international reputation.”

“You could walk in to our small village and take anything you wanted from us. Why ask permission?”

“We’re the strangers here,” Bo said. “This is your land and it needs to be protected.” She nodded at Lauren. “Doctor Lewis is in need of some samples for her research.”

Another elder sighed. “What is it you’re looking for, Succubus?”

“Pygmy blossoms,” she said. “From the highlands.”

“The blossoms are difficult to harvest,” this from the older garuda again. “Their season is short.”

Bo nodded. “We understand. We’ll stay only as long as our quest warrants.”

“You are welcome in our land, Succubus,” the woman said. “But you’ll receive no guidance from us. The blossoms you seek are sacred. Do not take advantage of this hospitality.”

“Thank you,” Bo bowed slightly. “We’ll treat the land as our own.”  
__

The humidity was suffocating by the time they were an hour into their trek, deep in the jungle behind the garudas’ village. Bo braced herself against a fallen tree, wiping the sweat from her forehead. She watched Lauren forage ahead, amazed by her resilience. Pushing herself from the tree, Bo caught up with Lauren, who brandished a machete like a professional.

“So,” Bo started, pushing aside a tree branch. “Looks like we might be hiking a while.”

Lauren looked at her, cutting away a few vines. “Probably another three hours. There’s a large clearing that’s been rumored to be carpeted in the blossoms.”

Bo smirked, looking to Johannes, who started to cut a path for them far ahead. “I thought maybe we could talk.”

“Talk,” Lauren repeated, stopping for a moment. She sniffed and pulled the edges of her shirt up to her face, drying it with the already damp edges. “Talk about what?”

“Maybe how I never knew you had a twin brother, for starters.”

Lauren stared at her for a second and then resumed her strides, knocking a few branches back. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” she said. “But I didn’t think we were doing families.” 

“’Doing families?’”

“You didn’t take me to your home town,” Lauren said. “I could have met your friends, your family.” She stopped again and looked up at the canopy. “But I didn’t, so I didn’t figure it mattered.”

Bo could hear the rain before they could feel it, starting slowly at first. Johannes’ voice echoed off the trees: “There’s a small pool here we can rest.” He continued on while Lauren approached the edge of a small embankment.

“Here,” Bo said, offering her hand. Lauren smiled and took the support, stretching her leg to the next level. The area was small, but it was sheltered by a few trees and was next to a small pool of water they could cool down in. Bo pulled the backpack from Lauren’s shoulders before her own, tossing them both against the wall of dirt and vines underneath the large tropical leaves. She sat down and leaned against the backpacks and watched Lauren pace, thinking, planning… “Stop worrying,” she said. “We’ll find them.”

Lauren turned to Bo, the rain picking up. “We were inseparable,” she said.

The image of Lauren’s brother laying on the operating table flashed in Bo’s mind. Lauren’s drawn expression, her arm reaching from a lab stool to Ben’s side. She held his hand in a desperate grip. “What was he like?”

Lauren took a second to think about her answer and sighed. “He was kind, loyal, always fought for the underdog.” She watched the raindrops hit the pool‘s surface. “But he was impulsive…” Lauren took a deep breath, her voice uneven. 

“Sounds familiar,” Bo said. “What were you like as kids?”

There was a soft chuckle. “We’d go hiking together, climbing trees, and finding frogs.” She smiled. “There was one time I caught this toad, it was huge. Ben took it and hid it under a pot in the kitchen sink. My mom screamed so loud we could hear her in the backyard.”

“You sound like you guys were a force to be reckoned with,” Bo said.

“Yeah,” Lauren sighed. She walked over to Bo and sat down next to her, pulling the canteen from her pack. “In school, he grew up getting into fights with bullies that picked on little kids.” She took a drink and passed it to Bo. “I’d always patch him up before our parents got home from work and then we’d start again the next day. By the time we were out of high school, Ben was already a member of a local climate change guerilla group and I wanted desperately to fit in somewhere... with him.”

“So you joined?” Bo asked.

Lauren shook her head. “Not officially. Ben knew I had the knowledge and ability to… make things.” She closed her eyes, unsure of the reaction she was about to receive. “I should have been more careful, but I trusted him.”

Bo put an arm around Lauren’s shoulders and pulled her close. “Karen Beattie,” she said.

“Yeah.” She rested her head on Bo’s. “I told him I didn’t want to see him again and I ran.”

“Oh Lauren.”

The rain poured, pounding the stones and the ground around them. They sat in silence for a few minutes before the rain started pouring off the huge leaves above their heads. Lauren grunted as she pushed herself up, unscrewing her canteen. Bo smiled as she watched her fill the few containers they carried for water. When they were full, she cupped her hands under the stream of water, drinking it reverently. Every time Bo looked at her, she was taken by her beauty as everyone else was taken with hers. She followed the drops of rain water as they traveled down Lauren’s arms, off her elbows and into her shirt. Bo licked her lips.

“Do you think Johannes will be gone long?” she asked quickly.

Lauren looked off into the distance, but couldn’t see him. She shrugged and dropped the water next to their packs, holding a bottle out for Bo as she sat down again. Her approach was quick, but the kiss was delivered with a mastered precision. Lauren made a small noise when Bo leaned over her, but she dropped the bottle as her hands cupped her face. The kiss was hot, tasting of sweat and Bo quickly lost sense of time and space. She wanted to lay Lauren down and make love to her under the jungle canopy, to the rhythmic dripping of rainwater and the cacophony of animal calls in the background. If she could spare the time…

The gunshot shattered the guided meditation in Bo’s head and she leaped to attention, looking around. Lauren scrambled to her feet and grabbed the machete she’d been carrying, her foot slipping in the mud. When she recovered, she started to run through the dense jungle in the direction of the shot. She couldn’t see Bo anymore and there was no way to tell where she went. Lauren’s heart pounded, but she moved on a definite course through the dense underbrush. Her body knew where to go.

Lauren had always philosophized about their relationship, the pervading thought was always that they were star-crossed lovers, tragic figures that were connected on a deeper level. But now they were magnetized. Pulled together, their connection was undeniable. It was physical. Bo was in her blood, pumping through her heart, coursing through her veins. She started running then, hopping over exposed roots and fallen trees until she pushed beyond a curtain of vines to find her in a small clearing.

Bo looked around frantically. “I can hear him,” she said. “Johannes!”

Lauren turned in circles, watching their backs as Bo searched for their guide. “I don’t see anything.”

“Johannes!” she called again. This time there was a cry for help in response and they ran for the source.

Johannes was under a few palm leaves when they found him. There was a large gash through his pants and his skin, the fabric was soaked with his blood. “Tiger,” he said, not without strain. “It ran when I shot my gun.”

Lauren was quick at work, collecting a few nearby twigs and branches, breaking them in her hands. She pulled the shirt off her back, revealing a fitted camisole, and tore it into strips. Bo watched in amazement, Lauren pulling a few leaves from around her. She looked around, spying something over Bo’s shoulder. “Hand me that flower, Bo?”

She tore the leaves of one plant, split the thick stalk of another, and broke the flower up between her fingers. The largest leaf was used as a vessel to mix the ingredients, the gel-like substance from the stalk making a paste of the rest. Lauren smeared Johannes’ wound with the concoction and tied a tightly folded piece of her shirt against the wound. With the few strips of her shirt, Lauren tied the small pieces of branch to Johannes’ leg to keep it steady.

“There,” Lauren said. “That should hold you for a bit, but we need to get you to a hospital soon.”

Johannes was floored. _“Sikerei,”_ he whispered.

Lauren smiled modestly. “Not quite,” she replied. “Is there a village nearby?”

“Uh, Lauren…”

Lauren looked up to see Bo with her arms raised in surrender. A quick look around told her they were surrounded, a variety of bows and arrows, spears, and palitai knives pointed at them. Johannes raised his hands just as Lauren did and spoke in the local dialect to hopefully alleviate some concerns. One warrior stood out among the rest and spoke harshly and quickly to Johannes.

“He says we are trespassing,” he said. “And that we will be brought before their chief for sentencing.”

“Oh great,” Bo rolled her eyes as they were prodded along. “Another panel of judges to impress.”  
__

END PART FIVE


	6. Chapter 6

PART SIX

Johannes did most of the talking when they arrived at the tiny village not far from where he was attacked. None of the natives there spoke much English and regarded both women with a suspicious fascination. Bo leaned into Lauren. 

“What does he keep calling you?” she asked.

“Shaman,” Lauren replied.

Bo blinked and the shrugged. “Well that kind of fits, doesn’t it?”

“Bo, I’m a scientist.”

“You’re a _healer,_ ” Bo corrected. When Lauren looked at her, she smirked. “Science and magic, remember?” Lauren shook her head with a slight smile and Bo knew she’d won. She saw Johannes signal to Bo and wave them over. They walked slowly so as not to appear aggressive, but the weight of a village-worth of eyes on their shoulders was debilitating.

Johannes looked from the Chief to Bo. “He says they have a sick child in the village, more showing symptoms. If the _Sikerei_ can cure them, they will show us where the pygmy blossoms are.”

“Johannes,” Lauren started, but Bo cut her off.

“Piece of cake,” she said and Lauren turned to her with wide eyes.

 _“Bo,”_ she whispered harshly. “You can’t promise them results.”

“Sure I can.”

_“How?”_

“Because I know you can do it.” Bo looked into her eyes and held her shoulders in her hands. “Science and magic.”

Lauren’s took a quick breath and turned to the Chief. “Show me the child.”  
__

A quick examination of the child in question told Lauren all she needed to know: the little girl had dengue fever and wasn’t far off from developing hemorrhagic fever. They needed to act fast. With Bo’s assistance, Lauren gathered ingredients from the surrounding forest and borrowed a small pot from a villager. She smiled broadly at the woman giving up her possessions to help. Lauren nodded her thanks and mixed the ingredients together over a fire.

While the medicine cooked, Lauren instructed a few of the villagers to find a surplus of the ingredients she searched for so she could make medicine for the rest of the villagers that were becoming ill. They disappeared into the jungle, eager to help the _Sikerei._

Bo knelt next to Johannes, who had been put on a chair near the Chief. “How are we doing?” she asked.

“The Chief is impressed,” he said. “He told me he knew some ingredients, but couldn’t remember them all and there wouldn’t be a _sikerei_ in the area for another few days.” Bo watched Lauren tend to the little girl while she waited for the medicine.

After a few more minutes, Lauren took the pot from the fire and examined the medicine inside. She took a hollowed half of a coconut and poured the liquid, bringing it to the little girl. She said a few words and gestured and suddenly the little girl was downing the stranger’s medicine and smiling within minutes.

“She is quite incredible,” Johannes said simply. “I have not known a Human like her.”

Bo couldn’t stop the grin across her face. “Me either.”  
__

That evening, the village treated their visitors to a feast of fruit, fish, wild pig, and rice. Bo and Lauren were invited into the Chief’s hut which had a small fire burning in the centre and an unending stream of food and drink. The villagers spared no expense. As the latest round of pig was served, Lauren felt a tug at her arm. She looked down to see the little girl she’d helped earlier that day, now smiling and holding out a flower in her hand.

“Thank you,” Lauren said with a smile, kissing the girl’s forehead. She looked at the flower in her hand and nearly screamed. “Oh my god.” She looked up, but the little girl was gone.

“What is it?” Bo leaned over to her, looking at her hand. “Wait, isn’t that…”

“Yeah,” Lauren breathed. “A pygmy blossom.”

They looked out the front of the hut, but the girl had disappeared. “How’d she look?”

Lauren nodded. “Her temperature’s still a little high, but nothing to be concerned about anymore. One more dose should do it.”

The Chief spoke then, a booming voice that stopped everyone in their tracks. Johannes listened to him and looked over at Bo and Lauren.

“I’m not sure I like that look,” Bo said.

“Yeah, me either.” Lauren watched Johannes limp toward them. “What’s going on?”

“I can’t take you to the fields,” he said.

“What?” Bo made a move to get up, but Lauren touched her arm.

“The Chief has a plan,” Johannes said. “There is only one way to be sure you will find the blossoms without fail.”

Bo looked from Johannes to the Chief to Lauren. Her heart thumped in her chest, worried this mission was coming apart at the very last minute. “So what is it?” Bo urged. “We’re kind of on a timeline, Johan.”

“A ceremony,” he said. “To open your minds to the blossom’s energy.”

Bo blinked. “To what now?”

Two trays were delivered to Bo and Lauren, one for each. On a flat plank of wood sat two large leaves. A small cup with a steaming herbal tea sat beside a wide piece of red bark that was smothered with honeycomb and dripping with the sweet syrup.

The Chief spoke and Johannes translated: “This is a sacred recipe. The honey and cinnamon bark are a mystical pair with the highland tea. You will become part of the jungle. The blossom will guide you.” He gestured at the presentation. “Drink. And open your mind.”

Lauren swallowed and looked at Bo who nodded at her. Together they lifted the honeyed bark from the trays. Closing her mouth over the thick honey, the spice of the cinnamon bark filled her senses. It burned, and she began to let go. She looked at Bo whose eyes drifted shut as she leaned back on her hand. She keyed in on her face watching as her cheeks tightened in a gentle smile and then it hit her. A jolt to her stomach, Lauren’s mouth watered as her head began to spin. Her eyes drifted shut. Her hand removed the bark from her mouth as her body listed into Bo’s. There, she leaned against her, trembling with an unnamed excitement. A chill ran through her and her eyes opened at the Chief’s voice.

“You must finish the tea,” he said.

The trays were thrust in front of them once again and they leaned forward to accept the cups brimming with brown liquid. Lauren sipped it at first, but the bitterness proved overpowering and she downed the cup in a few gulps and Bo followed in suit.

Half-lit and unprepared, they were led to the forest’s edge and urged to find the path. As the sun began to set, Bo hoisted a pack onto her back, Lauren stepping ahead of her and venturing into the darkness of the jungle.

“What the hell did we just eat?”

“Organic psychotropic drugs, cultivated by the natives for medicine.”

“So when does the trip begin?” Bo grinned.

“It’s going to get bad before it gets worse.”

“I’ll protect you,” Bo said, quite serious.

Lauren bowed her head and laughed. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at Bo in the dying light of day. “I know you will.” She marched ahead. “Now, Johannes said we should head due North.” Lauren stopped walking abruptly, looking up from the compass.

“What is it?” Bo asked.

“You don’t see that?” Lauren’s eyes tried to focus on the foliage but it was alive with movement. Leaves swirled, their intense unnatural colors calling attention to the fact that Lauren was not in touch with reality.

And then she heard Bo behind her. “Holy shit.”

Lauren smiled. “Give me your hand. We can’t afford to get separated.” Lauren reached out for her.

The jungle was alive around them, but Lauren felt protected with the Chief’s assurances that they would be safe and Bo’s posturing was always welcome. A curtain of darkness seemed to envelop them as the colors were extinguished and the blackness surrounded them. Bo stepped in close to Lauren’s hip. Lauren reached around the side of her pack and clicked on an LED torch hanging from a carabineer clip. An eerie fog was lit up around them.

“Just when you thought it couldn’t get any creepier…”

“Let’s just keep moving,” Lauren said calmly, though her heart had inexplicably begun to race.

Trudging ahead, Lauren and Bo walked hand in hand, deeper into the underbrush. The dew on the leaves soaked their clothing, and they began to hear the animals rustling around them. 

“I’m beginning to have my doubts…” Lauren’s whisper barely audible amidst the strains of the animals.

And then it was like the volume had been turned all the way up and the animal‘s songs were deafening. “Beginning?” Bo asked skeptically.

Lauren shushed her. “The forest is testing our mettle.” 

Bo unsheathed her dagger. “But I didn’t bring much metal.”

Lauren smiled, the depths of her affection for Bo in that moment, indescribable. “I’m sure you’ll do fine.”

And then silence blanketed them again and Bo blinked into the darkness. “What the hell?”

“Auditory hallucinations are common with the honey and bark we were given. The honey actually contains a poison from the pygmy blossoms, which the bees pollinate.”

Bo stopped walking. “Poison? Jungle bees?” 

Lauren tugged on Bo‘s hand until she started to walk again. “In small doses the poison is harmless, simply causing an alternate reality for an indeterminate amount of time.”

Their footsteps--soggy and mushy--filled the silence that had taken over since the animals went quiet. They continued on the soft and marshy trek toward the unknown, Lauren keeping them pointed due North, and Bo using her Fae to keep an eye out for incoming danger. And then it happened: the underbrush became alive with color again, but this time it was a trail of fizzing phosphorescence. Bees seemed to flit from here to there, spreading the neon colored pollen.

Walking faster, Lauren followed the streams of glowing pollen. And Bo, who felt the effects of the honey and tea egregiously now, stumbled along with her. They emerged from the jungle at a clearing carpeted with glowing blossoms. A hundred phosphorescing bees buzzed around the blossoms. They stopped at the edge of the field of blossoms and a laugh escaped Lauren.

“We did it!” she exclaimed, falling into Bo‘s arms. She kissed her, caressing her cheek. “We did it,” she cooed, quieter, kissing her again. Lauren waded into the field, pulling Bo behind her like an awestruck child. “Can you believe we are in such a pristine nursery for these flowers? Incredible!”

“Lauren…” Bo said quietly.

“And to be the only two outsiders who have experienced this in years? Unbelievable!” She laughed.

“Lauren…” Bo’s high was shifting gears now and her eyes blinked blue, flickering like a florescent lamp turning on. She dropped to her knees in the field of blossoms and yanked Lauren down to her level. 

“Bo,” she gasped.

“We’ve flown ten thousand miles, trekked through the jungle for three days, lost a guide to a _tiger attack,_ and I haven’t fed in four days.”

“Just the highlights, huh?” Lauren asked, bemused. She scooted forward, the long stems of the ironically-named pygmy blossoms bobbing around them. The smell was intoxicating, not unlike the finest of perfumes. She inhaled the forest’s scent, earthy moss coupled with and the hypnotic spice of cinnamon but the flowers themselves, their scent was mysterious and dark. “Four days, hmm…” Her husky voice was made Bo swallow the lump in her throat as Lauren’s hands threaded through her hair.

Her words were colors, her sounds, muffled and crude. She was the loveliest thing Bo had ever seen. Her skin was alive, sparkling with sweat and salt and, unable to resist, Bo moved to taste her. Lauren intercepted Bo’s mouth, lifting her head to her own, before toppling backwards with the driving force of Bo’s advances. Bo loomed above Lauren on a carpet of undulating grass. Her eyes were fireworks and her lips were plump with wanting. Bo kissed her with an unmatched intensity. 

Spinning, her head felt heavy and uneven. Off-kilter. She closed her eyes and opened them again; her vision had doubled. Two Laurens and pygmy blossoms for as far as the eye can see, Bo was certain it had to be a dream by the way the jungle canopy lit up with firebugs in bursts like a golden firework shower. She unbuckled Lauren’s cargo pants hastily and sunk her hand into them, the need to feel her overwhelming all else. 

Lauren moaned and it was like she was hearing her in surround sound. Her very breath was distinguishable from the breeze that tousled the blossoms, or the water dropping from the leaves above and every facet of her moans which reverberated off the canopy and went straight to her core. Lauren’s hands gripped her shoulders as she pushed her shirt up. They kissed like it was their last, mouths moving with fervent effort as Lauren unbuttoned Bo’s impossibly tight jeans and peeled them off her hips. It was a blur, clumsy and haphazard, and soon they lay in the tall grass of the pygmy blossom‘s field, flowers floating effortlessly above them like a second jungle canopy. The flowers themselves looked malevolent. Violet and lavender petals with indigo stamen. And as the moonlight shone through the covering, the blossoms cast a purple hue onto their skin.

Purple everywhere, the flowers threw shadows in every shade imaginable and as a rare breeze passed through, it rustled the flowers above Bo as she made love to Lauren. Her body was art, her canvas smooth and supple, and Bo was a student once again. Her curves so enticing, the long stretch of her neck as she moaned, irresistible. There never was a time to compare it to and she doubted there ever would be and when release came her heart was so full of love, Bo knew that she would never be without her again. The drugs were beginning to fade and the faint euphoria of exhaustion and sexual satisfaction burned through her body.

She rolled onto her back and her belly clenched in laughter. “What the hell was in that honey?”

Lauren reached up and snapped a flower from it’s stem. Her eyes studied the menacing little blossom. “The key to immortality.”  
__

They took their time redressing, their clothes wrinkled and dirty from being rolled around on. The only remnants left of the hallucinogens in their system were the trails that seemed to follow anything that moved so the women moved slowly because the unexpected side effect to the trails was nausea. Lauren sipped from her canteen, wiping the sweat from her brow as she watched Bo dutifully gather flowers.

“How many do we need?” Bo called from deep in the field.

There was no telling how many she would need for experiments if the recipe she found didn’t work. Lauren was going all in. “Whatever we can carry out,” she answered. She stood, brushing herself off and walked to Bo’s side, offering her the canteen. Her generosity was selfish as she delighted in watching Bo close her eyes, leaning her head back to drink.

They thinned the field methodically, not taking every flower from any one area and Lauren meticulously trimmed the blossoms before storing them away in their pack. To stop the rainfall from soaking them as they slept, Bo set up a makeshift tent with their rain ponchos, using the brimming backpack as their pillow and blanket beneath. Bo inched into the shelter and called for Lauren who lifted the flap and peered inside at her. Bo smiled from inside the one-man tent. “You want the top bunk or bottom bunk?”  
__

“Lauren…”

She heard her name and opened her eyes. Bo was fast asleep beside her, still crammed into their little poncho tent. Rubbing her eyes, she scooted out of the tent and stood, stretching in the dark. The flowers didn’t glow as vibrantly as before and Lauren wasn’t sure if that was because the drugs were wearing off or the fact that they had taken half the blossoms.

Lauren sat, knees pulled tight to her chest watching the stars through breaks in the canopy. _What a night._ A breeze blew in and Lauren could swear she heard her name again. She stood, grabbing her fluorescent torch from in front of the tent and went for a wander. 

She knew to stay close, that the wildlife alone could kill her, but if she got separated from Bo, she could be lost for good. Still, she felt safe, and walked to the stream along the edge of the tall grasses. Squatting beside the stream, she dipped her hand into the cool, fresh water babbling against the stones. She washed her hands and splashed water on her face, refreshing her. The breeze hit her skin and cooled her immediately.

She looked over her shoulder at the tent and smiled at Bo’s boots sticking out.

“Lauren..” A voice on the wind, swirled around her.

She stood and scanned the area for movement but all was quiet again. And then she saw him, standing in the field of flowers. A mere shadow, still Lauren felt safe. “Who are you?” Lauren moved between Bo and the shadowy figure. 

He turned and the moonlight hit his face. Lauren gasped. “Ben?” He smiled at her and Lauren stepped quickly into towards the meadow. Wading through the flowers, she reached for him as he disappeared into a mist. 

She looked at the sky, covered over by vines, branches and leaves. The jungle canopy was quiet. She couldn’t explain what she had just seen, but she knew it wasn’t a trick, it wasn’t Fae, that was her brother. Lauren closed her eyes and breathed in the cool air that dried the tears that fell. She could hear the animals in the distance, the wind in the trees, the distant stream. Her senses seemed elevated and as she listened to each sound, she cried for her brother, grieving for a lifetime of companionship lost, for the space in her heart that used to hold the hope it’d be filled once they met again.

There were footsteps behind her. Silent, but she could hear the blossoms rustling as she walked. She could feel her, her concern, her love, and when Bo touched her arm, Lauren didn’t turn. Bo wrapped her arms around Lauren’s waist.

“I saw him,” Lauren whispered. Bo didn’t respond, but Lauren wasn’t expecting her to. She just needed her touch, her presence, her protection.

“Come on back.” Bo kissed her shoulder. “It’s starting to rain.” Bo released her, turning back to their cozy makeshift shelter. She stopped when Lauren didn’t follow and squeezed her hand. Lauren turned finally and looked at Bo, her face naked with emotion, walls took energy to build that she just didn’t possess. Bo smiled at her and pulled on her arm. “C’mon.”

Lauren followed her then, looking up at the canopy one more time.  
__

The morning rain dripped on the sagging poncho over their heads, quietly tapping her awake. It had done its job. The blanket under her back was damp, but the body wrapped around her warmed her through. Bo blinked at the glittering water above her, catching the sunlight as it peered through the jungle canopy. She grunted as her night spent on the forest floor caught up with her, but the smile crept across her face anyway.

Lauren was still fast asleep, her head resting against Bo’s breast. There was a peace about her here. Tucked away from everything and everyone in a place that was difficult to describe. Bo sighed and closed her eyes, imagining what it would be like to experience this every day, waking up in a jungle paradise with the woman she loved above all else. Maybe in a bed next time.

“Bo?” Her voice was soft and hoarse.

“Yeah, right here,” she said, looking down at the confusion in Lauren’s face. 

Lauren looked past Bo, squinting through the poncho door. “We’re still in the jungle?”

“Yeah,” Bo chuckled, her arm squeezing around her. “Safe and sound and… mostly dry.”

She groaned, her eyes closing as she pushed herself upright, her head nearly hitting their natural chandelier. She rubbed her neck. “This is why I don’t go camping.”

Bo grinned and sat up next to Lauren. “I dunno, you seemed to have a good time.”

Lauren smirked and shoved Bo’s shoulder. The smile was infectious and Bo hoped she’d never be cured, even as it disappeared through the makeshift tent flap. Outside their shelter, Lauren stood in front of the field of blossoms, her dirtied camisole and cargos were this succubus’ dream. Bo stepped behind her and slid her arms around her waist.

“I thought I dreamed it,” Lauren said.

Bo rested her chin on Lauren’s shoulder. “But here we are.”  
__

END PART SIX


	7. Chapter 7

PART SEVEN

The pressure left everything to be desired, the water barely hot, but Bo relished the water flowing over her head and down her body. The dirt pooled at her feet as the days in the jungle washed off and she felt a pang of regret, like the experience would wash away with the earth. They were leaving in the morning, driving back to the airport and starting the long and winding trip home. Bo didn’t look forward to being trapped in an airplane for hours again, but it meant going home. And really, all she wanted was to be home.

She stepped out of the shower and quickly dried herself off. Dinner was on its way - a thank you from Johannes - and she planned to have a quiet, romantic evening with Lauren. Bo knew those would be few and far between once they got home and she was determined to take advantage of their surroundings.

“Was that dinner I heard?” Bo asked, walking out of the bathroom. She stopped suddenly and frowned. Lauren sat on a chair surrounded by three large canvas sacks of… “Coffee beans?”

Lauren held a Ziploc of pygmy blossoms in her hand. “We needed a way to get them back home without arising suspicion.” She looked at the flowers as if it was the first time she’d laid eyes on it and then stuffed the bag into the sack, elbow deep in coffee.

Bo shook her head and sat down on the bed across from Lauren. “How’d you know we’d do it?”

“I didn’t.” Lauren shrugged with a smirk. “It was a way out.” She looked at the ceiling and exhaled. “Or a lifetime’s supply of coffee.”

Bo smiled. “You know, a part of me wishes I could see into that beautiful mind of yours, but the other part will never tire of you amazing me.”

Lauren hummed, a smile on her face. “Well,” she said, looking at the door. “Dinner should be here soon, I should wash up.” She got to her feet and walked to the bathroom, Bo’s gaze warming her skin. At the door, Lauren stopped and turned to Bo. “Maybe you can amaze me later?”

The low chuckle that came from Bo was a clear indicator of her excitement. “You can count on it,” she replied.

It took every willful bone in her body to leave Lauren in shower on her own. She tried to busy herself with getting dressed and helping to move the blossoms into their new homes, but the images of skin and water tortured her from outside. It had been her decision to fast in a way, while they were gone. Bo didn’t feel right feeding while on a mission and certainly didn’t want to anger any succubus that might be in the area. So Lauren was her nourishment, both physically and emotionally on this trip and Bo was trying desperately to wane the fiery need that kept building in her body. 

By the time Lauren reappeared, dinner had arrived and was arranged in a few stacks of styrofoam containers on the small table in the corner of the hut. The sliding door was open and Bo breezed through just as Lauren peered outside.

“Hey,” Bo smiled. She looked Lauren over, in the now familiar _jungle couture_ of cargos and that camisole again, this time navy. 

Lauren returned the smile, smelling the exotic bouquet of spices from the mystery containers. “This smells incredible,” she said, reaching for a lid.

“Ah-ah.” Bo snatched her hand away. “I have something to show you.” She led Lauren through the sliding door and out onto the tiny stretch of beach behind their hut. They were alone as far as their eyes could see and twenty feet from their door was a single palm tree that curved over a large blanket. Their sleeping blankets actually, unfolded and spread out. There were a couple of containers already there waiting for them, along with two bottles of wine half-submerged in sand.

Lauren grinned. “Wow,” she said, letting Bo lead her the rest of the way.

“I just thought… we finally have a night to ourselves,” Bo said. “You know, no Fae…” She stepped closer to Lauren, taking her hands in hers. “No Humans… no favors to complete, no ancient curses to slay…”

Lauren kissed her then, her toes curling in the sand when Bo’s arms wrapped around her waist. Her hands pushed up Lauren’s back as her mouth kept her distracted, catching Lauren’s lips each time they tried to escape her. Bo didn’t need any encouragement. Her fingers found the small straps of Lauren’s camisole and pulled them from her shoulders, proud she kept them in one piece; her lips moved to her chin, her throat, her chest.

“Bo…” Lauren’s eyes closed, wavering on unsteady legs. Bo pulled the straps down her arms, exposing her breasts to the warm breeze. “What about dinner?”

Bo pressed her lips between Lauren’s breasts, inhaling deeply. “Forget dinner,” she breathed and dropped to her knees. Her eyes burned blue as she looked up at Lauren. “I’m starving.”

Lauren pulled her arms from the straps at her sides and held Bo’s face as she got to her knees. She tried her best kiss, every move she’d ever perfected, but none had anything on a hungry succubus. Bo kissed her with a force she had rarely felt, but her body responded in kind, burning for her every touch. She pulled Bo’s tank top over her head and tossed it aside right as Bo gently pushed her backward. Lauren grinned and backed up, bracing herself on her hands and Bo wasted no time in climbing over her, her mouth eager to give her breasts every attention that they deserved.

The gasp from Lauren signaled a change in her energy, Bo knew, so this was not a time to pull back. She tugged at the button on Lauren’s cargos and pulled them open. Unable to resist the tender skin at her hip, Bo kissed and nipped at her, feeling the intensity of the energy pouring from Lauren’s body grow. Before long, Bo was between Lauren’s legs, forgetting everything but the woman in front of her.

Lauren could concentrate on little but the waves of pleasure that were sent coursing through her body. She moved under Bo, pulling against the blanket beneath her, the cargos bunched around her knees. But where Bo would take her time, drawing the orgasm from her slow and methodically, she drove ahead, her mouth never allowing her time to get comfortable. Bo was a force, her hands holding Lauren’s hips as still as she could while she ratcheted up the pressure.

She couldn’t see anything then, her mind lost to the overwhelming desire, her body unable to defend against the phenomenon. Bo pulled her over the edge in record time, reveling in every ounce of energy Lauren released and then some. She crawled up Lauren’s body as her chest heaved, searching for more as she kicked her jeans away. Before Lauren could open her eyes, Bo straddled her, pressing herself against her and they groaned together.

“A little dessert?” Lauren murmured when Bo leaned forward, bracing herself on her elbows.

A short laugh escaped Bo, her lips next to Lauren’s ear. “Something like that,” she whispered as she moved.

Lauren reached for Bo’s hips, her own meeting them haphazardly. Bo shifted her hips and in finding her cadence, also found the sweet spot for Lauren who grabbed at Bo’s back. The soft whimper in Bo’s ear prompted the groan from her throat as the burn intensified, her hips rocking with determination.

“Lauren…” It was all she could say, the only word she could utter. Lauren’s hands traveled the length of Bo’s back, arching into her as she moved. Bo lifted herself up onto her hands and bent forward, taking Lauren‘s breast in her mouth, the harmony of their whimpers and moans stoking the fire, Bo’s fingers digging into the blanket underneath them. 

It wasn’t long for Bo. She released Lauren, able only to concentrate on one task at a time in this state, and looked to the sky as it started to rain, her hips thrusting erratically. Lauren groaned with her, lifting her hips in time with Bo’s until they found their rhythm. There was a silence between them as they moved. Lauren held Bo’s ass in her hands, holding her tight against her, feeling the buzz between them until Bo’s breath came in short bursts.

The rain fell unabated as Lauren pushed a hand into Bo’s hair, her fingers wrapping around the back of Bo’s neck, whispering encouragement into her ear until Bo groaned and then gasped, her body stiffening above her. Lauren wasn’t far behind, desperately thrusting into Bo until Bo covered her breast with her mouth again and she tumbled over the edge again. She grasped at Bo’s back as she pressed herself against Bo, unable to feel enough of her.

When Bo finally collapsed on top of her, Lauren wrapped her arms around Bo, her body warm even as the cool drops of water rained down on them. They lay in silence for a few minutes, Lauren tracing the curve of Bo’s spine with her fingertips. It was the kind of moment they rarely got, in all the five years they’d known each other.

“I love you,” came Bo’s voice, muffled by Lauren’s shoulder.

“I love you,” she replied, kissing Bo’s ear softly.  
__

There was a chance of eating a hot meal that for the first time in a week, but Bo couldn’t wait. She was starved for chi and for Lauren. So when the rain stopped, they retrieved the stack of containers from the hut and laid out under the palm tree that looked over them, watching the sunset in between watching each other, smiles hidden behind forks and knowing glances exchanged. Plans for later already swirled in the air between them.

Bo pulled Lauren along lazily, feet washed in the surf as they walked along the beach after dinner. It was their last night on Sumatra and the peace and quiet the island afforded them was beyond compare. She squeezed Lauren’s hand. “What’s on your mind?” Bo’s voice was soft and conspiratorial.

Lauren exhaled and tightened the sarong around her waist. She turned her head towards Bo. “The future.”

She smiled. “And how’s it looking?” Bo’s sidelong glance burned between them.

Lauren shrugged. “There’s no telling if this will work, Bo.”

Bo shook her head. “I’m not asking for guarantees, Lauren. If there is even the smallest chance that this will work, we are still better off than we were before this adventure.”

Lauren stopped walking beside a tide pool and peered inside. She smiled. “Bo Dennis, when did you become an optimist?”

“About the time my choices were between believing you would live or die.” Lauren flinched and Bo’s arms instinctively hugged her sides.

“I have a lot of regrets, but taking the Fae serum isn’t one of them.” Lauren bent down and peered into the tide pool, a microcosm of the ocean, with great interest.

Bo frowned. “Even knowing that you might die because of it?” 

She looked up at Bo. “I finally felt what you feel and, for a few weeks, we were closer physically than we ever have been.” 

“That hardly seems worth it. I mean, a few weeks for the rest of your life?” Bo tried to comprehend.

Lauren smiled. “I’ve just always wondered what it was like for you…”

“Scientific curiosity strikes again.”

“It does.” She nodded and accepted Bo’s hand up. When Bo took a step to continue down the beach, Lauren didn’t budge. “When Johannes cried out for us and you gave chase, I couldn’t keep up, but somehow I found you in the jungle.” Bo stepped back in front of Lauren and watched her search for the words. “I was propelled to you. Is that what happened to you when you found me at the hotel?”

Bo nodded. “It felt like I was tracking you without equipment.” She paused and considered Lauren carefully before speaking. “Lauren, ever since I gave you my chi, I’ve felt closer to you than ever. You’re a part of me now, I can feel you everywhere I go.” She brought her hand to Lauren’s face. “And I don’t want to be without you.”

“Bo…” Lauren looked at their feet, half buried in sand. Bo’s finger lifted her chin until their eyes met and she stared into them, looking for the solution. Instead she found something just as important, the strength of support.

Bo kissed her gently, the smile when she pulled away was disarming. “You’re gonna beat this.”

Lauren leaned up to Bo, returning the kiss two-fold. She knew that false hope might kill them both, but she let her believe because under the twinkling stars, on a beach in Indonesia, Bo’s magic paired with Lauren’s science and the alchemy of their love made false hope good enough.  
__

Everything is more peaceful in the middle of the night. Households, city streets, malls, and tourist attractions. Whether on the ground or in the air, night brings about a quietness that hopefully allows the world to recharge undisturbed. In an airplane, the middle of the night was just as quiet. The lights dimmed, shades drawn, night masks and blankets adorning almost every seat. The attendants had prepared themselves for the next service early in the morning and had settled in with their novels, or card games.

One keen attendant had his ear pressed against the outside of the bathroom wall. “Marg, come here.”

His fellow attendant put her book down and walked over to him. “What?”

He pointed to the bathroom wall. “Listen.”

“Graham, jesus,” Margot complained.

“What? Seriously!”

Margot rolled her eyes and leaned into the wall, a laugh and then an unmistakable moan. “Who’s in there?”

“Twenty B and C.” He grinned.  
__

The thing about night flights is that night seemed never-ending and if you weren’t big on sleeping, you had a lot of free time.

“I can’t believe we’re doing this,” Lauren managed to say between kisses.

“I can’t believe you’ve never done this before,” Bo groped her ass as she lifted Lauren onto the tiny sink.

Lauren grunted. “Neither have you.”

Bo left a trail of kisses from her ear to her breast. “Yeah, but I’ve never even been in a plane until this trip. What‘s your excuse?”

Lauren lifted Bo’s mouth from her chest and brought their lips together with force. “I never had a girlfriend like you.”

Bo pushed her pants over her hips and down to her knees as Lauren pushed up Bo’s top, and without any hesitation Lauren’s mouth was on her breast. Bo’s hand slapped the wall behind her, leaning against it. A low laugh escaped Bo as Lauren fought with the button on her jeans. She kissed the blonde again, her hand swatting Lauren’s away before plunging into her jeans. Arching her back, Lauren gripped Bo’s shoulders and moved her hips against her.

It was fast and brash, a sloppy meeting of libidos in a cramped, stainless steel-plated water closet. Locked together in an embrace, they moved against each other, an exchange of breaths, hot and ragged were punctuated by moaning.

Even in a tangle of limbs, topless, their pants around their ankles, there was a science to the way they moved against each other. It was an unbreakable bond that pulled them together even as their bodies were breaking apart. Lauren trembled in Bo’s arms. A few desperate thrusts to signal the end of the beginning. Bo followed close behind, squeezing her so tight, she thought the air might not come back into her lungs when Bo released her.

When they slinked out of the lavatory looking far more disheveled than before, the crew smiled cordially as they passed before the whispers began. They walked silently, sliding past their sleeping seatmate and settling in for the night.

Graham sighed. “It’s flights like these that make me glad I’m a flight attendant.”

Lauren peered over the back of her seat at the flight attendants readying the coffee service. “You think they noticed?”

Bo laughed and shook her head. “Nooo…” She said sarcastically.

Lauren dropped into her seat. “How am I supposed to sleep after that?”

“We can try again. I hear first class has a bigger lavatory.” Bo grinned, not looking up from the in-flight magazine she was flipping through.

Lauren hummed. “Do you think this is going to work?”

Bo closed the droll magazine and stuffed it into the back of the seat in front of her. “Yes.”

“We don’t even know if this is the right blossom--” 

“You’re right. The tribe meant for us to go to the _other_ glowing field of poppies.”

“I’m serious, Bo.”

“And so am I. Lauren, you’ve got this.”

“It’s just, I’ve been working for so long… I can’t believe it’s finally time.”

Bo looked at Lauren’s hands, and the book that trembled there. “And just in the nick of time.”

Lauren’s hands clenched and she folded her arms, hiding them from view. “I think this is my last shot, Bo,” she said sadly.

“All it takes is one.” Bo unfurled her arms and took her hands. “Whatever happens, Lauren, I‘m with you--”

She shook her head. “Before this gets really morbid, I’m going to freshen up.” She climbed into the aisle and looked back at Bo. “Stay.” She smiled.

Lauren meandered down the aisle, grateful for the room to stretch her legs, as she passed a pair of flight attendants, they smiled knowingly and she ducked into the bathroom, illuminating the Occupied sign. She reached into her pocket to retrieve the pill bottle that had become her constant companion lately and poured a couple of pills into her shaking hand. She sighed. Dependent on pills just to get through the day, but soon the pills would eventually stop working too when she couldn’t push the dose any higher, and nature would come to reclaim her. 

As she went to cap the bottle, her trembling hands fumbled it and poured it into the sink. Panic struck Lauren like a live wire as she could only watch the pills chase each other around the sink’s basin, but relief quickly swept in as the sink’s plug was still engaged. She gathered the pills, recapping the bottle, and she downed the capsules that kept her hands semi-steady. Staring into the mirror, Lauren took inventory of fine lines and creases, imperfections nobody would notice but her. She was fading away. A ghost in a shell of a Human that used to know a thing or two about the Fae. And she was dying.

The tears came now, like a torrential downpour, and her body shook. She slapped a hand against the stainless steel sink. She wasn’t ready for her exit papers. She wasn’t even ready for a time-out. Not even close. But the thing about storms is that when they pass, life is renewed again. She had one shot to get this right. She steeled herself against every outcome and washed her face in the tiny sink that had propped them up not longer than an hour ago. She took a deep breath, building herself up again and made eye contact with her reflection. 

A few minutes later a knock sounded, hollow and foreign under the air pressure. “Lauren?” She opened the door to find Bo, looking concerned. “Everything okay?”

Lauren smiled and nodded as she left the washroom. “Just anxious to get home.”  
__

“You have a visitor, Miss, shall I prepare a meeting room inside?”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Jeeves,” Evony waved her arm. “It’s a beautiful day, invite my guest out for tea.”

“As you wish.” He bowed and left the way he came only to return a few moments later with Vex who mashed his hands together in excitement.

“High tea on the lawn? You’ve come a long way, baby,” Vex chortled and dropped into a seat across from Evony, kicking his feet up on another chair.

“Oh Vex, Vex, Vex.” She swatted his feet off the chair. “To what do I owe this disruption of my peace and quiet?”

He leaned over the table conspiratorially. “The Elders have hatched a plan to rid the world of that bleeding heart succubus once and for all.”

“No, no, no, no.” Evony stood. “They can’t sabotage me now!” She paced.

Vex frowned. “Easy, Princess. I thought you’d be excited.”

She sighed and sat down, defeated. “I am, it’s just that I need Lauren right now and if she’s blubbering over losing her one true love she’ll be of no use to me.”

“Oh hoo hoo!” He giggled. “What did you have in mind?”

“She’s going to turn me Fae again.”

“You really believe that, do you? I mean, yeah, she might, but she might also turn herself Fae and forget about you altogether.”

“Always a ray of sunshine, Vex.”

“A realist, I am.” He rubbed his hands together. “Oooh, crumpets.” Pouring himself a cup of tea, he gasped. “This pattern,” he pointed at the saucer and matching teapot and then to his cup. “This is the Queen’s favorite pattern!”

Evony laughed. “God, you’re really bent.”

“Right, well, it’s good to have hobbies.” He dropped a sugar cube into his cup and stirred it gently. A splash of milk followed closely behind. “So how do you want to handle this?”

“Bo will need your help with the Gala. Keep her safe. I’ll deal with Lauren.”  
__

They walked off the plane, hand-in-hand, feeling free of worry or the expectation that something was going to blow up in their faces at any moment. It was first thing in the morning and the coffee smelled too good to pass up, even at its exorbitant cost in the airport terminal, so they stopped and let the crowd pass.

“I know I can’t stand this place sometimes but it’s nice to be home,” Bo said, stirring sugar and cream into her coffee cup.

“Had enough of the jungle life?” Lauren smirked.

Bo grinned. “On the contrary, swinging a machete and making love in the underbrush are things I will miss a lot.”

“Then what is it about this place?” Lauren asked, obviously unable to see it for herself.

They stepped onto the escalator and rode it down to the baggage level. Halfway down, Bo spotted Bruce, dutifully standing guard by their luggage. She pointed. “The friendly faces, for one,” she continued.

As they walked toward Bruce, another not-so friendly face appeared in the crowd and walked to intercept them. She sat on their crate of coffee. 

“How did you know when our flight got in, Bruce?” Bo asked the huge man but he just grunted.

“Not many direct flights from Timbuktu, intrepid explorers,” Evony interrupted. “I wouldn’t have believed it had I not seen it with my own eyes but Doctor Lewis, your prison pallor has gotten into the bronzer.”

“Why are you here, Evony?” Lauren asked impatiently.

“I’m keeping tabs on my investment.” Evony inspected her nails.

Lauren sighed. “You’re going to have to trust me.”

“On the contrary. I’m cutting you out.” Evony stood and straightened her dress. “You see, Anton here, has offered to do what you do for…” She put one hand on her hip and the other around a twenty-something blond Abercrombie model. “Coffee. And access to your notes, of course.” Evony fanned herself with Lauren’s notebook.

“You can’t do this. We had a deal. Evony, I need--” She couldn’t bear to finish her sentence.

“Get the coffee, Steve,” Evony ordered.

Bo frowned. “Steve?”

Lauren closed her eyes. “Bruce has a twin.”

“Shit.” Bo made a motion to go for Steve and he held up a hand. 

“I don’t wanna hurt you…” He said, a gentle giant like his brother.

Bo backed down. Truth be told, she wasn’t in the mood for a beating so soon after returning home either. “Live today to fight another day,” Bo whispered to Lauren as Evony, Anton, and Steve carted away all their hard work and Lauren’s very future. And perhaps she was being fatalistic, but Lauren couldn’t help but to wonder how many days she had left.  
__

“I did not see that coming.” Bo barged through the door to Lauren’s apartment, the doctor following close on her heels. Throwing the luggage in a pile, she continued to rant. “If she thinks she’s going to get away with this, she’s got another thing--”

Lauren kissed her hard, knocking Bo off balance and she braced herself on the kitchen island. When she pulled away the look of shock on Bo’s face was one she would remember for as long as she had viable brain cells. “C’mon.” She grabbed the collar of Bo’s leather jacket and pulled her down the hallway.

“Wow, this is, wow.”

When they passed the bedroom Lauren covered Bo’s mouth with her hand and shook her head before opening the door do her lab at the end of the hall. Lauren held up a finger when they were inside the room and shut the door firmly before flipping a switch that didn’t appear to do anything. “Sorry, this place has more bugs than a global ant nursery.”

Bo made a face. “They have ant nurseries?” She shivered. “Don’t answer that.” Bo walked around in wonder, breathing in Lauren’s space. “So is that switch supposed to expose a bed and some mood music, or what?”

Lauren hummed, trying hard to hide her amusement. “It’s an electromagnetic pulse signal jammer.”

“Oh, of course.” Bo sat on the stool in front of the work bench and listed side to side as Lauren dug through the backpack she had been inseparable from since they left Sumatra. She pulled a water bottle from the bottom of the pack, letting the bag drop the floor, she held up the bottle. “No thanks, I’m not thirsty.”

She waved the bottle in front of Bo. “Open it.”

Bo unscrewed the lid and the smell hit her like a thousand potpourri sachets and she was transported back to that night that they made love in the field of blossoms. “Holy shit.”

Lauren smiled, leaning back on her heels. Smug had never looked as beautiful and Bo took a deep breath. “What?”

“You.” Bo shook her head. “You’re just…” Her hands played with the strands of Lauren’s hair.

Lauren smoothed her hands over Bo‘s chest. “I’m pissed off. But I have all the texts, all she has are my encrypted notes and a second year med student.”

“Is it wrong that I want to see how this is going to play out?”

She smiled then, anxious to start the preparations. Lauren unloaded the texts from her backpack and spread them out on her desk.

“I should let you get to it.”

A smile, a kiss so soft it made her ache. “Don’t wait up.”

So, of course, Bo did just that. She showered, heated up a frozen dinner and camped out with a self-help book at the breakfast bar, falling asleep until she heard the rattle of the lab door opening in the early a.m. Lauren emerged in her lab coat, surprised to find Bo waiting for her.

“Before you ask, it’s not ready yet.”

“Oh…” Bo couldn’t hide her disappointment.

“Science takes time.” She smiled, rubbing Bo‘s arm.

“You must be going nuts, waiting for this.” Bo adjusted Lauren’s collar. “Can I heat you up some dinner?”

“Food? What’s that?” She joked.

“Something you should look into.” Bo took a box from the freezer and unwrapped it, setting it inside the microwave before setting its timer.

Lauren walked into Bo’s arms and rested her head on her shoulder. “Thank you.”

Bo smiled, wrapping her arms around Lauren’s waist. The microwave chimed and she pulled away to retrieve Lauren’s dinner. Setting her up at the breakfast bar, Bo sat in the armchair dividing the living and dining rooms and watched her eat. She watched as Lauren tucked her hair behind her ears and her heart swelled. Sometimes it was the smallest thing that hammered home how much she loved Lauren. Halfway through Lauren’s Lean Cuisine, Bo drifted off. She woke hours later when Lauren’s hands were threading through her hair.

“Hmm? It’s time?”

Lauren chewed her lip. “Only one way to find out.” Lauren held a test tube between her fingers. 

“Aren’t you worried about just how poisonous those blossoms are?” Bo asked, because obviously she was.

Lauren looked into the test tube. “Of course, but I don’t have much choice.” Lauren pressed her palm against Bo’s cheek. “I can’t lose my mind, Bo. I just can’t.”

Bo knew at the rate of her decline, Lauren would be lost to her and medicine in six month’s time and then there would be no one to do experiments to bring her back and she couldn’t bear the thought of Lauren’s beautiful brain sick and addled. She nodded her acceptance of the situation.

“To forever.” Lauren swallowed the contents of the test tube in one gulp. She made a face at its bitterness and waited for the fireworks. 

It started with her hand and the cessation of all tremors. A laugh rippled through Lauren for the disbelief she felt. And then it was like she hadn’t weathered the past five years or the five before that. Gone were her crows feet and laugh lines and when she challenged the notion, her very skin seemed to tighten and firm right before Bo’s eyes. Traveling south to her breasts, her eyes widened. Bo had no complaints before, but now… Lauren caught Bo staring and laughed, swatting Bo’s arm. Her eyes were bright and the bags beneath her formerly tired eyes were long gone.

Bo shook her head. “Unbelievable.”

“It worked?” Lauren ran into the bathroom and Bo watched as she turned the light on and emerge awestruck, apron and goggles in hand. “Holy shit,” she said. “We did it.”

“ _You_ did it. I just went on a three-day tropical hike looking for rare flowers with my girlfriend.”

Lauren laughed at her luck--the damnedest luck--and waited for her beauty to fade completely as some sort of cruel twist of fate but it never happened. She was more beautiful than the day Bo had met her and, goddess, that was amazing to Bo. 

She dropped the rubber apron, gloves, and goggles and swayed into Bo’s arms, who gladly received her, wrapping around her waist. “I think this calls for a celebration.”

Lifting her off the ground, Bo buried her face in Lauren’s hair. “I thought you’d never ask,” she said, carrying Lauren to the bedroom.  
__

Hours passed and Bo was surprised by the new, heavy dose of stamina that Lauren served up. More than that, she was _alive_ with life’s beauty, and Bo could tell, her place in it. They made love over and over again and when Bo released her--for her safety more than anything--she couldn’t sleep. She was abuzz with the possibilities: of science and of the tonic she had prepared earlier. She still didn’t know if the effects would fade and after how long but she knew she would have another dose ready for that inevitability and she would drag Bo across the international dateline again if it meant securing more of the pygmy blossoms.

She pulled on her jeans and buttoned them. “Where are you going?” Bo asked, hair still mussed and her cheeks still rosy from their love making.

“I can’t wait. I have to do the tests now.”

“Can’t you do them here?”

“I’m not set up to process blood here.”

“Huh…” 

Lauren cocked her head at Bo. “What is it?”

“You said you were going to take some time…”

“I am, I just have to know how the tonic works. And for how long.” Bo nodded, growing quiet. “Bo this is important. For our future. I need to know how long this is going to last.”

Bo gathered the sheet around her and stood. “I should drive you…” 

“Bruce is on his way.” Lauren smiled. “I thought you deserved a break.”

“Isn’t that my line?”

“I’m fine, Bo. Better than fine. I feel better than I’ve felt in fifteen years.”

Bo smiled. “I’m so happy for you, Lauren, but I still think you’re running yourself ragged.”

“Just one more day, I promise and then I’ll move my experiments home for awhile.” Bo picked at the sheets and sighed. “Please…”

“It’s okay, I’ll see you later.”

Her phone blipped and she examined it. “He’s here.“ Lauren zipped up her jacket. “Stay as long as you want and if you’re here when I get back we can pick up where we left off.” Lauren kissed her softly before disappearing out the bedroom door and the soft click of the deadbolt locking was heard throughout the apartment.  
__

END PART SEVEN


	8. Chapter 8

PART EIGHT

Lauren was happily dividing her specimen into groups for testing when her laboratory door burst open and Evony flitted into the room. She narrowed her eyes as she scrutinized Lauren’s features. “I didn’t believe the rumors, but now I see that they were true.”

“What are you talking about, Evony?”

“Your murder of crows feet is mysteriously absent.” Lauren frowned and touched the skin around her eyes. “And skin so supple and firm I’d be wondering where you get your night cream if I didn’t know better… How’d you do it?”

“You mean before or after I hiked through miles of jungle trying to find the secret ingredient? Or maybe before or after you stole it all?” Lauren was bursting with confidence as she paced around her lab. “Because I’m having a hard time remembering…”

Evony stared at her straight-faced. “We had a deal.”

“Which you broke when you stole from me.”

“Hey, my money paid for your little honeymoon to Starbucks Island.”

“Sumatra.”

“Whatever. Just give me whatever you had and we’ll call it even.”

“I can’t help you.”

“You mean you won’t. This is your fault!” She cried melodramatically. “You did this to me.”

“I’m sorry.” Lauren looked at the floor. For what it was worth, she was sorry for taking Evony’s Fae. Sure, she was out of commission in the world of the Fae, but she had also become a huge pet project for Lauren on account of the scorching guilt that she felt.

“The high and mighty doctor decrees it so it must be true.”

Bruce appeared in the doorway. “Bruce will show you out.”

“Bruce, Sweetie, long time, no see.”

“C’mon, let’s go, Evony.”

“You won’t get away with this!” Evony hollered as Bruce lifted her out of the room and carried her through the clinic. “This is my clinic! You all work for _me!_ ”

Bo crossed paths with the unfortunate pair as she entered the waiting room and continued on to the lab. Bo wore a smile that spoke volumes for how she spent her evening as she pushed through the lab doors. “Hey,” Bo said sweetly. “What’s going on?”

“Evony had a change of heart.”

“Whose heart did she take?” Bo grinned.

“C’mere,” she took Bo’s hand. “I want to show you something.”

“I like the sound of that.” Bo grinned again, as Lauren pulled her toward her desk. 

Every manner of test result was fanned across her desk but Lauren highlighted the important tests when she spoke. “MRI? Clear. Bloodwork? Clear. All of the values in my body have reset, Bo, and it appears to be permanent.”

“Until it’s not,” Bo muttered skeptically.

“I’ll keep an eye on it.” Her smile stretched ear to ear. “Bo, I feel so alive. I want to run a mile, make love all afternoon when I’m supposed to be working, surf a bore tide, climb Mount Everest--”

Bo laughed. “Okay, okay!” She moved in close to Lauren. “It’s good to have goals but let’s not get carried away. I’d go to the corners of the Earth for you, but I draw the line at Everest.”

Lauren chuckled, slipping her arms around Bo‘s neck. “How about Ethiopian take out and a clothing optional dessert?”

“I’ll pull the car around.”  
__

The ballroom in the lower level of the hotel Bo had been staying in was immense and decorated to the hilt. Bo stood in the middle of the wide open dance floor, a beautiful and intricate parquet of cherry and walnut framing the red dress that flowed from her hips. She looked at the bar where Dyson, Mark, and Vex sat in their suits and drank away the first hour they waited. Servers milled about the kitchen and music played despite there being no one there to dance.

Bo sighed and looked at the large grandfather clock near the DJ. “Unbelievable,” she said to the room, turning in one spot to make sure she hadn’t missed anyone. No one had showed up. Bo didn’t think it would have been possible for a succubus queen to be stood up, let alone by an entire cabinet of politicians, but here she was, staring at her friends getting drunk on her dime.

“Tough night?” Bo turned to see Lauren in an immaculately tailored dress, with a flowing line that drew her eye to every one of her favorite places on her body. Lauren smirked at Bo’s conspicuous appraisal. “So you like the dress.” Bo cracked a smile and Lauren took her hips in her hands, stepping in close. “That’s better.”

Bo rolled her eyes with a smirk and wrapped her arms around her. “I threw a party for all Fae and no one showed up.” Lauren smiled at her. “It’s not funny.”

“No, it’s not.” She shook her head seriously.” Her fingers played with the small hoop earring shining in the lowlight. “I’m proud of you, Bo Dennis.” 

“I just thought after what happened with Jack, the Fae would take me seriously.”

“Honey, I know they do.”

“Really?”

“They’d be fools if they didn’t.” Lauren leaned back in Bo’s arms.

Bo’s bashful grin filled Lauren with a sense of awe. “I’m glad you’re in my corner.”

She grinned. “I can’t imagine being anywhere else.” She thought for a moment. “Except, maybe…” Lauren stepped out of Bo’s embrace and took her hand, pulling her onto the dance floor. And there, on an empty dance floor, Lauren put her hands on the Succubus Queen’s hips and led her in a slow dance. “It’d be a shame to let this all go to waste,” she whispered into Bo’s ear.

They held each other as they danced. The songs were of no matter, just the closeness. After everything they had been through in the past three months, maybe not having a political free-for-all to cap it off wasn’t such a bad fate. 

Bo’s eyes shone in the ballroom light and Lauren was a prisoner to her beauty once again. “You want to get out of here?” Lauren asked, that familiar timbre was music to Bo‘s ears. They turned to leave, the elevator to Bo‘s suite was right around the corner when they ran directly into a finely dressed Evony.

“Nobody puts BoBo in a corner.” Evony pouted for effect. “Leaving already?”

Bo groaned. “What do you want, Evony?”

“Nothing doing, Succubus. I just need a word with your lady love.”

Lauren crossed her arms. “I’m pretty sure we’ve said all we needed to one another.”

“I know that was a bit of bad business back there at the airport, but you must understand my position.”

“Better than anyone.”

“So you’ll help me?”

Bo stepped forward. “You’re not really going to help her, are you?”

Lauren held up a finger to stall Bo and looked at Evony pointedly. “I’ll make you the tonic. And in return I’ll have the rest of the flowers and the Clinic.”

Evony laughed. “And the claws come out. Fine. I hate that place anyway. It’s yours.”

“And the blossoms?”

“I’m afraid there’s nothing left, you see, dear Anton, ‘processed’ every last one of them.”

“Why am I not surprised? And just how I am supposed to--”

“Why don’t you just go back to Timbuktu and get some more blossoms. My treat.” Evony grinned.  
__

Bo was nervous for the first time in her life. Honest to goodness nerves that gave her the jitters and scrambled her thoughts. She paced outside the arrivals terminal at the airport with a placard that read: LEWIS.

It would be like they never met before. Bo was dressed in her most conservative black ensemble but there was no denying the amount of cleavage that still fought with the fabric. She’d never been all that concerned with first impressions before, but when the gate door opened and the passengers spilled out into the airport, Bo tried not to panic as they rounded a post and set their bags down.

She was medium height and build, blonde, and dressed simply in jeans and a button down shirt. She was calm, sorting through the papers that her companion struggled to organize. He was tall and bumbling, his leather messenger bag was overflowing with notebooks and paper. He was a professor of the university in the town they lived in and looked the part with jeans, an argyle sweater and scarf. The pair were a sight, but they seemed to compliment each other. When they were put together, they spotted Bo’s sign and started toward her.

“Easy, girl,” she said to herself as they approached. Her smile was wide. “Mr. and Mrs. Lewis?” she asked, extending her hand. “I’m Bo Dennis, Victims’ Services.”

“Nice to meet you, Bo,” Mrs. Lewis said. “I’m Audrey, this is my husband, Peter.”

Bo nodded and shook the professor‘s hand, the smile plastered to her face as she gestured to her borrowed sedan outside the airport doors. “Won’t you come this way?”  
__

The ride from the airport to the clinic wasn’t long, maybe twenty minutes, but with your girlfriend’s parents in the car, five minutes can feel like an eternity. Bo looked in the rearview mirror at her passengers.

“I hope the flight was okay,” she said, breaking the silence.

“It was okay as flights go,” Audrey replied, looking out the window. “I’m sorry I’m not more pleasant, it’s been an exhausting few days.”

“Of course.” Bo glanced at the woman’s profile, amazed by the similarity. “Thank you for flying out on such short notice.”

“I have to admit, I didn’t expect to get your phone call after all these years.” Audrey met Bo’s eyes in the mirror. “Thank you for finding him.”

Bo shrugged. “It’s my job,” she said. “The clinic’s not too far now.”

“It’s unusual to identify a body in a private clinic, isn’t it?” Peter Lewis asked.

 _“Peter,”_ Audrey hushed him.

Peter looked at Audrey over an open book like he couldn’t understand what he said was wrong. “Isn’t it?”

“It’s not typical, no,” Bo replied. “We just find it a more comfortable environment for the families.” Peter nodded and returned to his book, satisfied with the answer. “We have accommodations set up for you for the night. Once we get the official stuff looked after, I’ll take you there.”

“Thank you, Bo,” Audrey said. “You’re very kind.”

Bo smiled into the rearview mirror, but didn’t respond. The clinic was a few blocks away now and she thought she might just ride that compliment until their destination.  
__

Peter and Audrey stood, bathed in the blue light of the monitor in the interview room in the back of the clinic. Bo stood at the side, watching their stoic faces, but witnessing the emotion in their eyes. Audrey wrapped her arm around Peter’s waist, her head resting on his shoulder.

“It’s him,” she whispered.

Peter nodded and looked at Bo. “It’s him,” he confirmed.

Bo was quick to turn off the monitor and turned on the lights. “Thank you,” she said, “I know that must have been incredibly difficult.”

“It’s a relief, in a way,” Peter said. “He was a beautiful boy, but I hated not knowing what happened to him.”

Audrey nodded. “Thank you, Bo.”

“Don’t thank me,” she said with a smile. “The attending doctor was quick enough to alert Victims’ Services as soon as he passed through, or else he would have been lost to the system.”

“I’d like to speak to him,” Peter said. “If he’s here.”

Bo smiled. “Definitely.” She moved toward the door and the Lewis’ moved to follow until Bo knocked on the door, three soft raps. She reached for the doorknob, pulling the door open to reveal a sheepish, but incredibly nervous Doctor Lauren Lewis.

It took a total of seven seconds for Audrey to recognize her daughter. “Lauren?” she asked, her hands shook as she reached out for her, but ended up covering her mouth.

Lauren nodded and spoke, her voice vibrating with anxiety. “Hi Mom… Dad.”

“Oh my _god._ ” Audrey rushed her daughter, wrapping her in an embrace that rivaled a constrictor on the jungle floor. She cried and kissed Lauren over and over, the once cool and collected Audrey Lewis hadn’t seen her daughter in over a decade and now she couldn’t find a reason to let her go.

Bo felt the tears welling in her eyes as she watched the reunion. As her father joined in fawning over Lauren, Bo couldn’t help but to think how overdue this attention must have been. She watched as Lauren lied to her parents about her life and she knew it must’ve been hard but it had to be done. As far as they knew, Bo was Lauren’s witness protection agent and Lauren was still hiding from her past. It was a short reunion and they all deserved so much more, but appearances had to be kept up.

And Bo’s heart broke for Lauren as she kissed her parents goodbye for what might be the last time, her mother clinging to her remaining child once thought lost. The cab ride back to Lauren’s apartment was silent. Bo didn’t push, instead watching her stare out the car window until they arrived and Bo followed Lauren dutifully to her door.

They ate dinner with little conversation and shortly thereafter, Bo followed Lauren to bed, curled around her under the blankets and let her cry herself to sleep. Bo cried with her, for her inability to make the pain go away. Lauren deserved so much more than she’d received in the time Bo had known her. Seeing her bathed in a mother’s love today was the best gift she could have given her.

It would be days before Lauren would talk about her parents, opting for veiled silences and pained looks instead. Bo could tell their visit had stirred something in her but she felt ill-equipped to help Lauren deal with it. Her family had suffered almost as much as Lauren had. The loss of both their children to a criminal act, her brother’s death after years apart, both of them reappearing in their parents lives only to disappear into another city again. 

They had no expectations of where Lauren or her brother were, so laying Ben to rest seemed a fitting final act. His grave was dug at the apex of a hill, near a huge oak tree and as Audrey and Peter Lewis paid their last respects to a son lost to them so many years ago, their daughter watched from afar.

It was too dangerous to involve her parents in the world of the Fae so Lauren couldn’t be seen with them, though she was certain the Elders already knew of their proximity. Bo was a dutiful host, taking them from the hotel to the burial and eventually to the airport. They never knew of Bo’s relationship with her which pained them both, but Lauren enjoyed Bo doting on her parents just the same. She got a real sense of who Lauren was by being around her parents and even though she wasn’t able to tell them how much she loved their daughter, she could show them with her kindness, the way Lauren had done the same for her all those years ago.  
__

“You wanted to see me?” Bo crossed her arms, her best badass pose in the making.

“Not especially, but these things happen.” He sneered.

“Look, buddy, it’s a wild world out there and I’ve got plenty of other things I could be attending--”

Prigg pressed his finger against his pursed lips. “I’m going to stop you right there, Succubus. Every Fae knows you’re a permanent fixture at your ex’s hole-in-the-wall-pub and as for your busy schedule, I wouldn’t brag about holding your girlfriend’s handbag.”

Bo cocked her head. “Isn’t it a bit early for such a low blow?”

“You would know better than I.” He smiled, but his eyes were flat and lifeless.

“You know what? I don’t need this. Have yourself a day, Prigg.” Bo spun on her heel and started to walk away when he called after her.

“If you leave now, you’ll never know about the deal you might’ve struck to save her parents’ lives.”

The sound of metal singing as she unsheathed it from its leather holster, and her blade was at his throat again. “My protection extends to Lauren’s family. They are out of your reach.”

He chuckled, a low grumble that barely resembled a sound of amusement. “Perhaps… Or maybe they were delayed in St. Louis and a kind stranger lured them away from the pack and…”

Bo tightened her arm around Prigg and nicked his neck with her dagger. “What did you do?” Her voice came through clenched teeth.

“They are safe,” he said. “But for how long?”

“I could say the same for you,” she breathed angrily in his ear.

He laughed, a big boisterous belly laugh. “If you insist.”

“Vex isn’t here this time to save you, asshole.”

“I have not lived a thousand years without knowing how to deal with the trash that goes along with this job.”

Bo pushed Prigg roughly and he collided with a marble pillar. He grunted and dabbed the blood from his neck with a handkerchief. “We’re done here,” Bo growled.

He licked the blood from his lip. “If you want to ensure your in-law’s safety, I’m going to have to insist you do something for me.”

“If this is your way of asking me out, you need to work on your game.”

“You might not find this so funny when the Lewises are reunited at the bottom of the bay.”

Bo charged at him again and he stood board still, waiting for her to attack. Instead, she stopped a foot away from him, eyes flashing angrily. “Enough with the threats,” she growled. “Do whatever you’re gonna do but know that you’re gonna have to deal with me if you think you are getting anywhere near her.” 

“Big words, Succubus. Are you sure you want to play it fast and loose like you did on the whole brother scenario? That turned out okay, huh?”

“You have no standing. You’re just a sad little bully who doesn‘t want my lunch money, he just wants a friend.”

“You have no claim to her.” Bo flinched. “She is still a ward of the Ash, whether Trick or Hale enforced that is irrelevant.”

Bo closed her eyes and sighed. “What do you need?”

“You will find out in time.”  
__

It was only a few days later when Bo and Lauren were sharing another well-deserved breakfast together at Lauren’s as it was most days now, the hotel room an afterthought. Bo tore into a croissant and popped a bite of the flaky pastry into her mouth. Her eyes watched the way Lauren scooped her three-minute egg onto her whole wheat toast before slicing it into neat squares. Bo dabbed her mouth with a napkin. 

“You wanna come check out this apartment on my shortlist after lunch?”

“Shortlist, huh? You’ve been busy.” Lauren sprinkled a pinch of kosher salt onto her eggs. Bo smiled at the methodical way she attacked even her breakfast. “Where is it?” She chewed happily.

“Walking distance from the Dal, in the industrial block, on neutral ground.”

“Sounds perfect,” Lauren said with a smile but Bo could detect a hint of sadness at the idea that Bo might be leaving her.

“We’ll see.”  
__

Lauren stood in front of one of the massive windows in the loft and admired the view. She looked at the floor, a mix of concrete and rustic tiles. Raw wood shelves on exposed brick highlighted the earth tones on the walls and floors.

“It’s beautiful, Bo. But do you really need this much space?”

“I do if there’s going to be room for your lab over here…”

Lauren smiled. “Bo…”

“Don’t ask me if I’m sure because I’m ready. I hope to Fae you’re ready too or I’m gonna feel like a real--”

Taking a step forward, Lauren’s kiss hit her like a freight train barreling down the line. She held Bo’s face as their lips moved against each other. “Ready?” Bo whispered against her mouth as they parted.

“Let’s sign the papers.”

“Don’t you want to see the rest of it? The closet space in the bedroom alone is--”

“Closet space, huh?”

“And room for a new four poster bed,” Bo grinned.

“When did you find this place?”

“A couple weeks ago…” She said sheepishly. “I paid the realtor to hold it for us.”

“Took some time to get used to the idea?”

“There wasn’t a right time…” She moved in close again. “I wanted it to be special.” She inhaled her. “How’d I do?”

“Lauren kissed her again, softly this time. “You’re getting the hang of this.”

“Don’t get used to it. I’m sure my next big blunder is waiting in the wings.”

The elevator hummed and rattled to life and in a short time the door was sliding open noisily and the real estate agent entered the loft. “How’d we make out?”

Bo looked to Lauren and Lauren looked back at Bo. “We’ll take it,” they said in unison.  
__

A plume of steam that wafted out of the shower when Lauren pulled the curtain open, circling the air above her as she stepped out onto the neatly folded towel on the floor. The bathroom wasn’t huge, but it had everything they needed. Lauren pulled another towel from the vanity countertop and dried herself off. It had been a month since she and Bo had decided to get a place together. Both women weren’t sure of that next step, but neither felt the dread and anxiety of making a step they weren’t prepared to take. So here they were.

Lauren wiped the mirror with the towel until it was clear of the fog and she looked at herself for a long time. Her eyes scanned her face and she leaned over the sink, inches from her reflection. She looked for imperfections like she did every day. Wrinkles, sun spots, anything that reminded her of the person she once was. Anything that would tell her the tonic was failing, that she was failing, but like every other day for the past month, she found nothing. Backing up a step, Lauren looked at her hands, steady as ever, and ran a hand along her arm. Her skin was soft, supple, like she was twenty years old again. As her hands traveled her body, she examined every inch. But she couldn’t find the scars from the stitches she got after pulling her brother from a car wreck, the evidence of her appendectomy as a teenager was gone, and the scars of her time as a triage doctor in Afghanistan had disappeared. It was all gone. It was still gone. She was new.

The smile was fleeting. For some reason, she couldn’t let herself believe she’d succeeded. From the success with the Fae plague to the Naga venom to making Fae Human and Human Fae, Lauren still didn’t have what she wanted. Months of poring over endless texts from Trick’s library, scrolls, papyrus, translations from languages long extinct brought her to a list of items, locations, and Fae. With one missing element: the active ingredient. The discovery of the pygmy blossom was Lauren’s Eureka Moment.

Putting the recipe together was the challenging part. Flying ten thousand miles and trekking through miles of jungle, meeting the locals, taking a hallucinogenic trip to unlock their location…? _That was the easy part._

So, it worked. At least that is what she would tell herself tonight. Because tonight she was new again--still--and it was liberating to be free from the memories. Time had melted away her imperfections but Lauren still felt their indelible mark on her soul. She could pretend she didn’t cut her hand so badly on broken stemware that she needed stitches the night she broke Bo’s heart for the second time but she remembered. She remembered not being able to sleep, and how the bloodied bandages were the perfect metaphor for the carnage of their relationship.

And yet, here they were: moving in together and for once there wasn’t angst over a decision. It was an easy and natural choice for Lauren. Bo was all she had ever wanted and now she had removed the one obstacle from them being together for good. It wasn’t easy, but it was worth it.  
__

There was something romantic about the first night in a new home, even more-so now that she was living with Lauren. She could hardly believe it. Bo Dennis was settling down and when she thought long and hard about it, she realized that it didn’t scare her like she thought it would. She was so excited to start her life with Lauren. A life she had been waiting to start since their first go ‘round. And tonight, tonight was their first night in their industrial loft. Home base was now a perfect marriage of Bo’s Bohemian roots and Lauren’s sparse Modern foundation. 

Bo moved a large cardboard box by the window and tossed an armload of throw pillows to surround it. She pulled another box alongside and placed the pizza, only just delivered, on top. Next, she pulled the cork on a modest red wine--one that was their favorite of the price point--and poured a pair of Dixie cups. Everything was still packed which made their first meal a challenge, but with compromises like Dixie cups and paper plates, they would still be able to enjoy a fairly disposable meal.

She heard the shower cut off upstairs and stood expectantly. A few moments later, Lauren emerged in a terry cloth robe with a towel on her head. A smile that made Bo’s heart flutter in her chest as she descended the staircase. She smiled down at the bed of pillows and sat in front of Bo.

“I’m starving.” A happy sigh escaped her lips.

She watched Lauren dig into the pizza box and began to eat. Bo stepped forward and sat across from her. She lifted her Dixie cup of wine. “To us.”

Lauren chuckled at their stemware on this occasion, but still drank from the waxed cup. Bo refilled the tiny cups again. Lauren raised her cup. “To forever,” she said harkening back to the day her life became endless.

“I still can’t believe it.”

Lauren touched her own face like it was foreign. “I can’t either.” They both giggled at their good luck. Hard work and good luck, but still… they were still beside themselves after Lauren drank from the fountain of youth.

Bo took a bite of crust and tossed it onto her plate. “This is surreal. I mean, you’re eternally young--I never knew there was an alternative to being Fae and now… I have you… forever.”

She nodded. “There is the chance that you could get tired of me.”

“Nope.” She shook her head. “Not gonna happen.”

Lauren smiled then, ear to ear and all heart. “After everything, we made it here…” She was proud, even if she was also a little astonished by her own good fortune. 

“Where do we go from here?” Bo asked, truly out of sorts. She had no clue how to proceed.

Lauren laughed. “We live out the rest of this script together.”

“And what happens next?” Bo grinned.

Lauren regarded the slice of pizza in her hand momentarily and set it on her plate. She climbed across the space between them, and kneeling in front of Bo amongst the pillows, she took her face in her hands and kissed her passionately. Bo was up on her knees in an instant and met her kiss with an equal amount of pressure. As they parted, Lauren whispered against her lips. “We live.”  
__

Fin.

(there will be a sequel)


End file.
